An increasing number of international students are using their study permits to come to Canada and then file for refugee status once in the country, a Global News report suggests.
Using data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), journalists with the broadcaster determined 12,915 of those who filed for refugee status in Canada in the first eight months of this year already had study permits or study permit extensions.
That’s a 752 per cent increase in the number of asylum claimants who had study permits or study permit extensions during the first eight months of this year compared to the Globe & Mail’s reported 1,515 who had such permits and permit extensions who applied for refugee status in the entirety or 2018.
Immigration Minister Marc Miller is reportedly worried that many foreign nationals are using the international student program as a “backdoor entry into Canada.”
In an interview on Global News’ The West Block, a Canadian news and political affairs television show, the immigration minister said he will be looking into further reforms to the international student program to resolve the issue.
Canada has been recognized as a leader in welcoming refugees from throughout the world and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the country will continue to do that but must also ensure the country’s immigration programs are not abused.
“Our capacity to do that means we need to properly be able to identify who needs most help, who is there as a true asylum seeker and other people using the asylum path as a shortcut to gain Canadian permanent residency or citizenship is something that we need to continue to push back against,” the prime minister reportedly said.
International Student Program Numbers Are Being Cut
Canada is already clamping down on the number of study permits it will approve for international students next year by 48,000, down to 437,000 from the 485,000 it had agreed to approve this year.
That’s a cut of 10 per cent in the number of study permits for next year.
“The reality is that not everyone who wants to come to Canada will be able to – just like not everyone who wants to stay in Canada will be able to,” said Immigration Minister Marc Miller earlier this month.
“We are taking action to strengthen our temporary residence programs and roll out a more comprehensive immigration plan to meet the demands of today’s changing landscape. Our immigration system must preserve its integrity, and be well managed and sustainable. And as we look forward, we will do everything it takes to achieve that goal and set newcomers up for success.”
The IRCC is also pledging to update the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) program this autumn in a move touted to better align it with labour market needs.
Ottawa is also going to limit work permit eligibility later this year to spouses of foreign workers in management or professional occupations or in sectors with labour shortages under Canada’s work permit programs, including the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) and International Mobility Program (IMP).
Work permit eligibility will be also limited later this year to only those spouses of master’s degree students whose programs are at least 16 months in duration.
“The TFWP was designed to address labour market shortages when qualified Canadians were not able to fill those roles,” said Randy Boissonnault, minister of employment, workforce development and official languages.
“Right now, we know that there are more Canadians qualified to fill open positions. The changes we are making today will prioritize Canadian workers and ensures Canadians can trust the program is meeting the needs of our economy.”
Ottawa’s proposed reduction of temporary residents from 6.5 per cent of Canada’s total population to five per cent is to factor into the 2025–2027 Immigration Levels Plan which is due to be released by the end of this month.
As part of changes to the PGWP, all applicants will be required to demonstrate a minimum language proficiency in French or English, demonstrating a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 7 for university graduates and CLB 5 for college graduates to apply for one of these permits starting Nov. 1.
The tougher rules for temporary immigration to Canada come months after the country’s immigration minister pledged to create a temporary immigration levels plan and reduce the number of international students and temporary workers in Canada.
Clampdown On Temporary Residents Comes In Wake Of Housing Crisis
“The era of uncapped programs to come into this country is quickly coming to an end,” Miller reportedly said. “This is a big shift. You can’t just slam on the brakes and expect it to stop immediately.”
In 2019, the last full year before the Covid-19 pandemic, Canada issued a little more than half a million new study permits and work visas, welcoming a total of 522,110 temporary residents.
Four years later, the number of temporary residents with these permits was more than 1.6 million as of the end of 2023.
During the same period, housing became increasingly unaffordable and the tide of public opinion had shifted, with 60 per cent of respondents in a Leger poll conducted in July saying there are too many immigrants coming to Canada.
Earlier this year, Miller put a cap on study permit applications, limiting these to 606,250 this year, a move which was expected to reduce the number of new study permits issued this year by 40 per cent.
“The intent of these Instructions is to ensure the number of study permit applications accepted into processing by the Department of Citizenship and Immigration … within the scope of the instructions does not exceed 606,250 study permit applications for one year beginning on the date of signature,” the Canada Gazette reported on Feb. 3.
Ottawa says this cap on international students will better allow the provinces to welcome the students they receive.
The government has also:
- introduced a letter of acceptance verification system to protect students from fraud
- increased the financial requirements that applicants must meet to be approved for a study permit so students are better prepared for life in Canada
- limited the open work permit eligibility for spouses of students to only those situations in which the principal applicant is in a master’s, doctoral or professional degree program, or part of the Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot
- introduced reforms to the PGWP that removed eligibility for graduates of college programs delivered through public-private curriculum licensing arrangements
- proposed new regulations to require international students to apply for a new study permit to change schools and hold learning institutions accountable for failing to participate in student compliance and letter of acceptance verification activities
- lower the number of hours per week international students can work off-campus to help students focus primarily on their studies, while still having the option to work.
Temporary foreign workers in Canada have also seen changes, including
- new and stronger protections for temporary foreign workers through amendments to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations in 2022
- the launch of the Migrant Worker Support Program was that same year to help migrant workers learn about and exercise their rights.
- In increase in the number of employer inspections, resulting in a 36 per cent increase in fines issued in 2023 to 2024 to non-compliant employers using the TFWP
- updated training for decision-making officers on risk assessment and fraud detection, and a revised guidance with a focus on reducing risk tolerance
In February, Ottawa slapped down partial visa requirements for Mexican citizens, who represented about 17 per cent of all asylum claims in 2023.
Asylum Claims By Mexicans Have Dropped
“This was done in response to a continued increase in asylum claims made by Mexican citizens, the majority of which were refused, withdrawn or abandoned,” notes the IRCC.
“After introducing these changes, the number of overall claims made by Mexican citizens dropped by almost 80 per cent from 1,997 claims in February to 434 claims in June 2024.”
That move came almost a year after Canada and the United States introduced an additional protocol to the Safe Third Country Agreement in March last year to extend its application to the entire land border, including internal waterways.
“This change has resulted in a significant drop in irregular crossings,” notes the IRCC. “The number of irregular asylum claims has dropped from an average of 165 per day in March 2023 to an average of 13 per day since then.”
