The Gouvernement du Québec set the maximum number of applications for temporary studies to be received under the International Student Program (ISP) for December 17, 2025 to December 16, 2027. The order was published today in the Gazette officielle du Québec.
This decision seeks to preserve the vitality of Québec’s educational institutions and respect the maximum number of study permit holders, as established in Québec’s pluriannual orientations on immigration for 2026–2029, announced on November 6, 2025.
To provide educational institutions with greater predictability, the order sets out:
- Maximums established per educational institution, school service centre and school board over two one-year periods, that is, from December 17, 2025 to December 16, 2026 and from December 17, 2026 to December 16, 2027, to take into account the recruitment and admissions activity schedule of educational institutions;
- The maintenance of the number of applications for temporary selection for studies for the programs leading to a protected Attestation of College Studies (ACS), a Diploma of College Studies (DCS) and in the university network, thereby allowing institutions to receive international students at a level similar to the 2024 level for the next two years;
- A 35% reduction in relation to the actual number of applications received for private vocational training institutions in 2024 without being able to exceed the maximum number under the 2025 order. A 75% reduction applies to non-protected ACSs based on the number of applications received in 2024, as was the case in 2025;
- The exemption of applications for renewal of a CAQ from the maximum numbers attributed to educational institutions for all levels of study. This means that international students who apply for a CAQ to pursue the same study program, at the same level and in the same institution, will not be taken into account in the maximum numbers. Consequently, a number of applications were deducted from the maximum numbers to take into account the addition of this exemption;
- A slight increase in the maximum number of applications in public French-language vocational training institutions, school service centres and school boards in the regions to encourage studies in French outside Montréal.
The order published today replaces, effective today, the one published in February 2025 regarding the management of applications under the ISP for the period February 26, 2025 to February 26, 2026.
For more information:
- Gazette officielle du Québec : Décret 1488-2025
- Tableaux de suivi du nombre maximal de demandes de sélection temporaire pour études (PDF 206 Kb) for the period December 17, 2025 to December 16, 2026.
- Applying for temporary selection for studies in Québec