Canada Imposes Two-Year Cap on Student Visas, Ends Open Work Permits for International Student Spouses Amid Housing Crisis
The Canadian federal government has announced a cap on the number of student visas to be granted over the next two years, aimed at targeting institutional “bad actors” amid concern about the impact of growing numbers of international students on the housing market.
Marc Miller, minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship, revealed on January 22 that the government plans to approve a total of 360,000 undergraduate study permits in 2024, with the aim of reducing this number by 35% from the previous year.
Duration
Each province and territory will be allocated a portion of the total, with permits distributed by population. Provinces and territories will be responsible for deciding how permits are distributed across universities and colleges in their jurisdiction. The cap will be in place for two years, with the number of visas to be issued in 2025 reassessed at the end of the year.
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In addition to the cap, the federal government will also require international students applying for a permit to provide an attestation letter from a province or territory.
Motive behind the measures
Miller stressed that the measures are not against individual international students, but are intended to ensure that future students receive the quality of education they signed up for.
“It’s unacceptable that some private institutions have taken advantage of international students by operating under-resourced campuses, lacking supports for students and charging high tuition fees all the while significantly increasing their intake of international students,” Miller said.
Starting in September, international students who begin a program that is part of a curriculum licensing arrangement will no longer be eligible for a post-graduation work permit.
Graduates of master’s and other “short graduate-level programs” will “soon” be able to apply for a three-year work permit. Open work permits will only be made available to the spouses of international students in master’s and doctoral programs.
-Afrogazette-
