Essential Notes
- With the implementation of more stringent visa requirements, the number of international students studying in Canada has begun to decline.
- Canada wants to cut the amount of study permits that are granted by thirty-five percent.
- The administration intends to place restrictions on the number of foreign workers and asylum seekers in addition to international students.
According to Statistics Canada, there were 24,594 fewer people in Canada in January and March of 2024 than there were in the same months the previous year—a fall of 16,000.
This decline in foreign enrollment is the result of Canada’s tighter study visa laws, which went into effect in January 2024.
The aggregate numbers for temporary immigrants likewise show this decline. According to the Bloomberg newspaper, Canada welcomed 131,810 temporary residents in the first quarter of 2024, which was one of the country’s smallest net quarterly growths since 2022.
Canada Wants to Cut 35% of Foreign Student Permits
The Canadian government set limits on the amount of study permits that might be granted in January 2024, with the goal of bringing the total down to 360,000, or 35% fewer than in 2023.
Among other reasons, the growing number of international students studying in Canada was cited as the reason for this action. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) reports that in 2023, there were more over one million foreign nationals in Canada with study permits.
The countries from which the most study permits were issued over this time span were Mexico, France, Iran, Nepal, Vietnam, China, the Philippines, Nigeria, and India.
However, Canadian Minister of Immigration Marc Miller issued a warning in an official statement on April 22 that Canada may impose more limitations if necessary.
“Post-secondary institutions have a critical responsibility when recruiting students abroad, as well as supporting them here. We have taken some important steps to strengthen the international student visa system and will not hesitate to do more if need be.”
Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship of Canada
Canada’s population increased as a result of a rise in temporary immigration.
Canada’s total population increased by 0.6 percent to 41 million in the first quarter. Statistics Canada estimates that the nation’s population would have grown at a pace of 0.3 percent during this time without temporary immigration.
According to additional reporting from Bloomberg, the number of foreigners who moved to Canada following the epidemic contributed to the country’s population growth. Temporary immigrants, including foreign workers, international students, and asylum seekers, are mostly to blame for this growth.
Canada intends to restrict the total number of temporary residents it accepts in response to the rise in the foreign population.
This regulation will not apply to foreign workers in the construction and healthcare industries because of the labor scarcity in these fields in the nation.