OTTAWA, Jan. 22 (Xinhua) -- Canadian Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Marc Miller announced on Monday that the federal government will cap the number for international student visas over the next two years.

       The cap will cut the number of undergraduate study permits in 2024 to 364,000 with the aim of reducing the number by 35 percent from 2023, said Miller in a press conference.

       Students applying to masters and PhD programs will be exempt from the cap, the immigration minister noted.

       Each province and territory will be allotted a portion of the total with permits distributed in accordance with population and the 2025 limit will be reassessed at the end of this year, Miller added.

       According to local media, the idea of a cap on the number of international students has been floated for months. The federal government has faced pressure from provinces regarding the increasing numbers of non-permanent residents entering Canada while the country struggles with a housing crisis.