Canada rejected over 2.3 million temporary resident applications in 2024, marking its highest-ever refusal rate for foreign workers, students, and tourists. The rejection rate surged from 35% in 2023 to 50% in just a year, signaling a major shift in the country’s immigration policies.
According to data obtained by the Toronto Star, Canadian immigration officials denied 2,359,157 temporary resident applications in 2024, a sharp increase from 1,846,180 rejections the previous year. Among these, 1.95 million visitor visa applications were refused—accounting for 54% of all requests, up from 40% in 2023. Study permit denials reached 52%, while work permit rejections slightly decreased from 23% to 22%.
The surge in refusals coincides with growing pressure on the federal government to scale back temporary immigration amid rising living costs and a worsening housing crisis. In response, Ottawa has lowered its permanent residency targets for the next three years—395,000 in 2025, 380,000 in 2026, and 365,000 in 2027. Officials are also encouraging temporary residents to leave once their permits expire, though select pathways to permanent residency remain available for eligible applicants.
Despite these stricter policies, internal data suggests that many temporary residents are opting to stay legally through visitor records, which allow them to remain in Canada without studying or working. Applications for visitor records nearly doubled from 196,965 in 2019 to 389,254 in 2024, though the refusal rate for these remained low at around 5%.
Canada is not alone in experiencing a decline in foreign student applications. Student visa requests dropped 46% last year, from 868,000 to 469,000, mirroring similar trends in Australia, the UK, and the U.S.
“Policy changes across major study destinations have affected not only students but also the financial health of educational institutions,” said Sanjay Laul, founder of MSM Group. “International students contributed CAD 22 billion to Canada’s economy in 2022, but this figure is expected to decline significantly this year.”
