OTTAWA, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- Population growth in Canada continued to slow as the third quarter saw the lowest net increase in the number of non-permanent residents since 2015, Statistics Canada said Tuesday.
The number of non-permanent residents with a study permit on Oct. 1 was 1,010,404, or 4.3 percent lower than that on July 1, said the national statistical agency.
"This is notable, as the third quarter marks the start of the school year, and a drop in the number of study permit holders from July to October has not occurred since the third quarter of 2021, when comparable data became available," the agency added.
The Canadian federal government announced in January this year that it would cap the number for international student visas over the next two years which would cut the number of undergraduate study permits in 2024 to 364,000 with the aim of reducing the number by 35 percent from 2023.
According to the agency, on Oct. 1, there were 3,049,277 non-permanent residents in Canada which continued to grow because of increases among work permit holders and among asylum claimants, protected persons and related groups.
Canada's population was estimated at 41,465,298 on Oct. 1, an increase of 0.4 percent from July 1. This was the slowest quarterly growth seen since the first quarter of 2022, said Statistics Canada.
