TORONTO – The government of Canada might be tightening the rules for international students further as anti-immigration policies gain ground across the world.
The country’s immigration minister has hinted at the possibility of the federal government doing more to limit the number of international students if post-secondary institutions do not act.
Marc Miller said in a recent statement that the recent moves to introduce caps on the number of international students have strengthened the Study Permit system.
The minister also called on colleges and universities to get the message and be responsible with their cohort of students from abroad – a visible indication of the impending actions in case the government finds it necessary.
“Post-secondary institutions have a critical responsibility when recruiting students abroad, as well as supporting them here,” he wrote on X.
“We’ve taken some important steps to strengthen the international student visa system and will not hesitate to do more if need be,” Miller asserted.
The Canadian authorities announced to reduce the number of international students by 35 percent as compared to 2023 as the country faces a housing crisis.
Under the new rules, each province has been allocated a portion of the cap based on its population and other factors.
Regarding the figures, the country issued 683,235 Study Permits last year but the latest regulations would decrease the number of students by a significant amount and aspiring students have already started receiving visa rejections.
The government has also announced to limit the number of temporary residents entering the country by introducing caps on them starting this fall. Interestingly, the cap would be introduced for the first time as the country grapples with the challenge of housing crisis and inflation.
As far as the statistics are concerned, there are currently about 2.5 million temporary residents in Canada, which comprise about 6.2 percent of the overall population.
The temporary residents include students, asylum seekers and temporary workers but Immigration Minister Marc Miller said he hopes to reduce this figure to about five percent over the next three years.
The first cap would be set up in September this year as the immigration minister said the move is to ensure “sustainable” growth in the number of temporary residents coming into the country.
