Canada will sharply reduce the number of international students coming to the country and reduce the number of jobs available to international graduate students, in an effort to curb the impact of immigration.
The policy, announced by the Canadian Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (IRCC) on January 22, takes effect immediately and will last for two years. The number of international students allowed to enter the country in 2024 will be 360,000, a 35% decrease compared to the previous year.
Immigration Minister Marc Miller said the government will impose a cap on provinces and territories. Study permit applications to the agency will require a letter of endorsement from the province.
Additionally, as of September 1, students enrolled in programs offered through public-private partnerships will no longer be eligible for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP). This model involves a public school enrolling international students and then sending them to a partner private school for training. The private school pays a fee to the public school, and the international student receives a public university degree to apply for a PGWP.
Work permits are also no longer available to spouses of international undergraduate students as before, but remain available to postgraduate students.
One new feature is that students of master's degrees and other short-term postgraduate programs will be granted a three-year work permit after graduation, instead of counting the length of the study program.
University of Toronto campus, Canada. Photo: University of Toronto
Canada tightens admission permits for international students amid rising immigration numbers. According to Statistics Canada, in the third quarter of 2023, Canada's population increased by about 430,600 people, of which 96% were immigrants. This is the fastest growth in more than 6 decades.
The number of students holding study permits in Canada in 2023 is also a record high, at more than 1.02 million (both existing and new). The increase in international students has contributed to a severe shortage of rental housing, pushing up rents. Statcan said that in December last year, rents nationwide were up 7.7% compared to a year earlier.
According to IRCC, the reduction in new permits is intended to ensure that genuine students receive the support they need and have the resources they need to have a rich study experience in Canada. At the same time, the country stabilizes the overall number of incoming students and eases pressure on housing, health care and other services.
The government’s move has raised concerns. For example, in Ontario, the most populous province and home to the largest concentration of international students, some businesses in the restaurant and retail sectors have warned that it will create temporary labour shortages.
The University of Toronto welcomed the government's announcement, saying it would work with authorities on the allocation of study permits. In a statement, the school said the changes were "focused on addressing abuses in the system by specific actors, not intended to negatively impact universities like Toronto."
Canada has previously tightened many regulations related to international students. In late October 2023, the Canadian Immigration Department said it would closely monitor the issuance of admission permits and recommend that schools improve service standards to protect international students from fraud or housing difficulties. Since the beginning of this year, Canada has required international students to have more than CAD 20,600 (USD 15,200) in their accounts, in addition to tuition and travel expenses, to be granted a study permit. The above level is double the CAD 10,000 requirement, which has existed for decades.
Canada is one of the two most popular destinations for international students in the world, tied with the United States. This is because it is relatively easy to obtain a post-graduation work permit, which can last between 8 and 36 months, depending on the length of the program. International education brings more than CAD 22 billion ($16 billion) to the country's economy every year.
According to 2022 figures, about 40% of foreign students in Canada come from India, with Chinese students coming in second at about 12%. The number of Vietnamese students is more than 16,000.
The cost of studying at the undergraduate level in Canada is on average about 36,000 CAD per year, including tuition and living expenses.
Binh Minh (According to Reuters, Statcan, IRCC )
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