Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced Monday that the federal government will cap the number of student permits over the next two years.
The cap is expected to result in 364,000 new approved permits in 2024. Miller said that while the cap is national, it will be applied differently in different provinces.
Canada has become a popular destination for international students, but it is currently navigating the challenges of managing a surge in their numbers amid a housing crisis. Indian students form the bulk of the international students in Canada. Entry into private Canadian colleges is easy, and the
“Study visa route is taken in a bid to gain permanent residency and citizenship.”
In addition to the cap, the federal government will also require prospective students applying for a Canadian study permit will have to provide an attestation letter from the relevant province or territory.
While the reduction is 35 per cent overall in new study visas, some provinces could see reductions greater than 50 per cent. The cap will remain in place for two years.
Students applying to graduate level programs such as
“Masters and PhD programs will be exempt from the cap.”
Students at the elementary and secondary school level will also be exempt. Study permits are granted on a three year basis. Miller said that the cap will not apply to anyone already studying in Canada who is seeking to complete or extend their schooling.
He added that in the coming weeks, we will be announcing that open work permits will only be allowed to spouses of international students enrolled in master’s and doctoral programs.
Spouses of international students enrolled in other levels of study, including undergraduate and college programs, will no longer be eligible, Miller said.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said other levels of government should not be blamed for “this disaster.” He said the blame lies entirely with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and called the prime minister incompetent. Poilievre said
“He is the one that granted the study permits. That is a federal responsibility,”
We had the most successful immigration system here in Canada. Trudeau and Sean Fraser granted tens of thousands of students to come and go to fake colleges, Poilievre said.
More than 800,000 international students were issued temporary study visas in 2022. This rapid growth has put pressure on resources such as housing and classrooms, particularly in provinces like British Columbia and Ontario.
International students already in Canada, as well as applicants who have already submitted an application for a study permit as of Dec. 7, 2023, will be able to work off campus more than 20 hours per week until April 2024.
