India, Sept. 9 -- Canada's international student strategy is shifting toward graduate-level education, with master's and doctoral students accounting for 21% of new study permits issued between January and June 2026, up from 12% during the same period last year.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced the figures as it outlined efforts to refocus the International Student Program on what it described as quality and sustainability.

The jump means graduate students now represent more than one-fifth of new study permits issued during the first half of the year, compared with roughly one in eight during the same period in 2025.

IRCC said it has introduced measures specifically aimed at attracting more master's and doc...