The federal housing ministry has admitted it conducted no analysis at all on how international students impact housing supply, rental costs, or home prices in Canada.

The admission comes in response to order paper question Q-485, submitted by Conservative MP Costas Menegakis. The question asked the federal government to provide detailed data going back to 2016 on:

• The number of additional housing units required to accommodate international students
• The impact of study permit holders on student housing prices
• The impact on rents and home prices across the broader housing market
• Estimated cost increases by province and territory
• The total number of housing units needed each year to support study permit growth

In its official response dated December 5, 2025, Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada stated simply:

Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada has nothing to report.

The statement confirms that the department conducted no studies, modelling, or cost estimates on how international students affect housing demand, despite years of record-level growth in study permits.

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This admission comes as housing affordability continues to worsen across the country, with rental vacancy rates tightening and prices climbing sharply in major urban centres with large student populations.

Menegakis’ question also sought estimates of rental and purchase price increases tied specifically to international students, but the federal response indicates those figures do not exist at Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada.

The lack of federal data means Ottawa has no official estimate of how many housing units are required to support the international student population, either nationally or by province, over the past nine years.