To address the housing impact caused by international students and target problematic institutions, Immigration Minister Marc Miller has revealed a cap on student visas for the next two years, as reported by CBC News, Canada’s publicly owned news service.
For the year 2024, the federal government aims to approve 360,000 undergraduate study permits, reflecting a 35% reduction from 2023. This decision is expected to significantly affect Indian students, who constitute the largest group of international students in Canada, receiving over 41% of permits in 2022. In 2023, more than 300,000 Indian students reportedly went to Canada, according to CBC News.
Under the new system, provinces and territories in Canada will be allocated a share of the total permits based on their population. This aims to address unsustainable growth in provinces with the highest increase in the international student population. Each region will determine how permits are distributed among universities and colleges. The cap will be in effect for two years, with a reassessment of visa numbers scheduled for 2025.
Minister Miller expressed concerns about certain private institutions exploiting international students by operating under-resourced campuses, lacking student support, charging high tuition fees and significantly increasing international student intake. In addition to the cap, the federal government will now require international students to provide an attestation letter from a province or territory when applying for a permit, as per CBC reports.
Emphasising that these measures are not directed against individual international students, Miller clarified that they aim to ensure arriving students receive the promised quality education. The changes also extend to the post-graduation work permit programme, with international students in programmes under a curriculum licensing arrangement becoming ineligible for a post-graduation work permit starting in September. Graduates of master’s and other short graduate-level programs will soon be eligible for a three-year work permit. Open work permits will only be available to spouses of international students in master’s and doctoral programmes. These measures are part of Miller’s broader initiatives targeting what he has labelled as ‘the diploma equivalent of puppy mills,’ according to CBC News.
With inputs from ANI.