TORONTO – The government of Canada is likely to tighten the rules regarding international students as the housing crisis in the country worsens.
In this regard, no official policy has been revealed; however, a recent statement by Immigration Minister Marc Miller is visibly hinting at the future of international students.
The authorities in the country are reconsidering the number of long-term visas awarded to international students in an effort to stem the tide of immigration and population growth.
Minister Marc Miller has confirmed that federal and provincial officials have been discussing how to match labor market demand with international students.
In an interview with the Economic Times, Miller highlighted in a veiled manner that student visas should not be used as a route to residency.
“That should never be the promise. People should be coming here to educate themselves and perhaps go home and bring those skills back to their country,” he said and added that the logic for having uncapped or uncontrolled draws from abroad is no longer there.
The Canadian government has been introducing multiple measures to discourage the entry of international students. In the same spirit, the country recently introduced a new limit on the number of international student visas, projecting fewer than 300,000 new permits this year, compared to approximately 437,000 last year.
Officials are now closely evaluating which students from this group should be allowed to remain in the country after completing their studies.
Besides students, the government is also examining the overall immigration landscape and the government has committed to reducing the proportion of temporary residents to 5% of the population, from approximately 7%.
