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For some international graduates, their study destination becomes their new home. Studying abroad can be a powerful experience, and students build strong friendships and vital skills over their time on campus. After graduating, some pursue permanent residency (PR) to deepen those ties, while also bringing their valuable knowledge to the Canadian workforce. Below, we’ll compare the PR approval rates for past study permit holders¹ and applicants who have never held a Canadian study permit. We’ll also look at how PR approvals for past international students have evolved across Canada between 2018 and 2025.

Note: To apply for PR, potential applicants must receive an invitation or nomination from the government (ITA). To apply via Express Entry, these individuals must meet or exceed a set score and then receive an invitation. Other PR streams have different criteria, but all will issue invitations or nominations to eligible applicants in their pool. The data in this article refers only to applicants who received an invitation or nomination to apply for PR.

Canadian PR Approval Rates for International Graduates Consistently Higher than Non-Graduates

The difference between the PR approval rate for past study permit holders and non-study permit holders was at its widest in recent history (except during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020):²

In 2025, 94% of permanent residency applicants who had previously held a study permit or study permit extension were approved. This was nine percentage points higher than the PR acceptance rate of non-study permit or extension holders.

The PR approval rate also dipped less year-over-year (YOY) for former students in 2025. It dropped three percentage points compared to 2024, while falling six percentage points for applicants who had never held a study permit or permit extension. As the figure above shows, PR approval rates were also generally more stable for applicants who had previously held a study permit.

India Remained Top Incoming Population for PR Approval Among Past Study Permit or Extension Holders in 2025

Canada-wide, the total number of PR approvals for past study permit holders dropped 17% in 2025 versus 2024. This change was influenced in part by shifts among the largest incoming demographics. Out of the 10 international graduate populations who received the highest number of PR approvals, half received fewer approvals in 2025 compared to the previous year.

Applicants from India who had previously held a study permit or study permit extension received the largest number of Canadian PR approvals out of any nationality of past study permit holders in 2025:

While past study permit holders from India have received the most PR approvals out of any incoming population since 2018, the total number of PR applications which this demographic submitted dipped below 50,000 last year. This change marked a return to application levels last seen in 2022 for past study permit holders from India.

Out of that cohort, nearly 41,000 PR applications were approved, which was 26% less than in 2024. A lower PR approval rate for this subset of Indian applicants, dipping from 98% in 2024 to 94% in 2025, contributed to the lower approval count. However, the larger shift came from the smaller number of applications.

That said, a lower PR approval rate wasn’t unique to India. Among past study permit or extension holders, 8 out of the 10 largest populations had lower approval rates than in 2024.听

PR Approvals Rise for Past Study Permit Holders Among Many Francophone Populations

In addition to Colombia (which is not a Francophone country), France and Morocco were the outliers in 2025, with PR approval rates for past study permit holders which remained stable. Notably, however, France and Morocco’s overall number of approvals climbed significantly, up 40% and 80% YOY respectively. Other Francophone populations like Algeria saw their total approvals for past study permit holders improve too, rising 79% over 2024 levels.听

While upward trends weren’t unanimous among Francophone countries, as total approvals decreased by 16% YOY for past study permit holders from Tunisia, approvals for past international students from both Cameroon (+80% YOY) and C么te d’Ivoire (+79%) climbed.

Comparing PR Approval Rates Across Canada for International Graduates and Non-Graduates听

Below, we’ll look at each province’s proportion of PR approvals for past study permit holders between 2018 and 2025.

Note: Generally, PR applicants must receive an invitation or nomination to apply, whether through or a regional program like the or the . Thus, references to 鈥渇ormer study permit holders鈥� below do not refer to all past international students. It only includes those who have submitted their profile for consideration, and have then received invitations to apply for PR.听

Across Canada, the percentage of PR approvals earned by past study permit holders rose from the mid-teens in the late 2010s, and peaked in 2021 at above 40% as COVID-19 limited other PR applicants’ ability to come to Canada. Subsequently, this proportion dipped as mobility resumed, hovering in the high 20s and low 30s through the early 2020s. Last year, applicants who previously held a Canadian study permit received 26% of all PR approvals. However, this population is distributed unevenly:

British Columbia

Last year, previous study permit or extension holders received 33% of all PR approvals in BC, a proportion which was up by four percentage points year-over-year, even though the total number of PR approvals this demographic received dipped by 18% over the same timeframe. Despite the downturn in overall approvals, over 15,000 former students were approved for PR in 2025. This change meant that last year, BC had the third-most PR approvals for former students, and ceded its former rank of second-most to Quebec.

Prairie Provinces

Over the past few years, three different patterns have emerged across the prairie provinces: a stable cohort of past study permit-holder PR approvals in Alberta, growth of the same cohort in Saskatchewan, and decline in Manitoba. While many factors influence PR approvals, , compared to Saskatchewan’s one, which may help Manitoba attract more diverse PR applicants:

However, it’s important to look at the total number of approvals this demographic received as well. Year-over-year, total PR approvals to past study permit holders decreased across all three of these provinces in 2025. While the proportion of total PR approvals to this cohort increased YOY in Saskatchewan, past international students’ total number of PR approvals decreased by over 2,000.

Ontario

While the proportion of PR approvals for past study permit holders grew in 2025 by three percentage points, as overall PR numbers dropped, this represented a smaller total number of new Canadians. Over 10,000 fewer past study permit or extension holders who listed Ontario as their province of destination were approved for PR in 2025 than 2024, representing a decline of 19%.听

Despite this recent dip, however, past study permit holders’ proportion of total PR approvals in Ontario has hovered in the mid-20s since 2023鈥攁 proportion which has nearly doubled since the late 2010s.

Quebec

Last year, past study permit holders intending to settle in Quebec received the highest proportion of PR approvals (26%) within the province than at any point over the last eight years. Changes to Quebecois PR pathways in 2024 and 2025 likely influenced this shift. In 2024, the Quebec government (PEQ), a popular PR pathway. Eligible applicants could then instead pursue PR through the Skilled Worker Selection Program or an immigration pilot.听

In November 2025, the PEQ closed permanently. All pilot programs also wrapped up in January 2026, with only the AI pilot program accepting new applicants until December 31.³ As recent graduates are among the most likely to have AI expertise, they likely composed a higher proportion of this pilot’s applicants.

Atlantic Canada听

While the four Atlantic Canadian provinces are neighbours, the composition of their PR approvals varies considerably:

Between 2018 and 2025, Prince Edward Island (PEI) had the largest proportion of past study permit holders among its pool of PR approvals than any other province. PEI is Canada’s smallest province, which is reflected in its total PR count: when past study permit holders’ proportion of PR approvals peaked in 2021, that translated into their receiving just over 1,500 approvals.

In New Brunswick, the total number of past study permit holders approved for PR climbed to nearly 3,200 in 2025, exceeding Nova Scotia’s total of just under 3,000. This was the first time in at least the last eight years in which this was true. Meanwhile, Newfoundland’s proportion of international graduates ticked upward in 2025, climbing four percentage points YOY.

Preparing Graduates for a Bright Global Future

A key part of the work international education professionals do with students is preparing them for their next steps after graduation. Whether it’s moving into an advanced degree or the job market, students thrive when they understand their options and feel supported by their academic institutions and community organizations.听

Across Canada, international graduates continue to be approved for permanent residency at a significantly higher rate than applicants who did not hold a Canadian study permit.听

While it’s important to remember that the approval rate advantage of former study permit holders applies only to applicants who received an ITA, it’s unsurprising that they’re approved at higher rates than applicants who weren’t former students. International students benefit from access to the latest knowledge in their field and hands-on training through their studies, and build cultural competencies while on campus that help them to better understand and integrate into Canadian society. Ultimately, these advantages help to prepare past study permit holders for success when pursuing the next chapter of their lives in Canada.

About the ApplyInsights Team

FOOTNOTES:

1. The terms听student visa听and听study permit听are generally used interchangeably for Canadian international students. Rather than student visas, Canada provides accepted international students with study permits, which allow those students to enrol in classes at Canadian institutions. When a student is accepted for a study permit, they are also usually provided with a visitor visa, which allows that student to enter Canada for their studies. In this article, we鈥檒l use the terms interchangeably.

2. All data is sourced from (IRCC) unless noted otherwise.

3. CIC News, “.” Updated Nov. 7, 2025.