Immigration Minister Marc Miller says the era of unlimited numbers of international students being able to come and study in Canada has come to an end and attending college or university here cannot be a backdoor to permanent immigration.
“(Post-secondary institution) can’t be a backdoor entry into becoming a Canadian citizen,” Miller reportedly told journalists. “There is perhaps a logic for making those people Canadian at some point, but not all of them.”
Canada has a cap of 606,250 study permit applications this year
The immigration minister’s comments came in the wake of his cap on study permit applications earlier this year.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC) set a cap of 606,250 new study permit applications this year for international students back in January.
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“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.
That cap on study permit applications is expected to reduce the number of new study permits this year by roughly 40 per cent.
Although some experts consider immigration to have a deflationary effect by providing the needed workers to get jobs done and lower pressure on wages, the sharp increase in the number of temporary residents in Canada has been widely blamed for the housing affordability crisis in Canada.
“Changes are needed to make the system more efficient and more sustainable,” said Miller.
“There should be an honest conversation about what the rise in international migration means for Canada as we plan ahead.”
In Calgary earlier this month, the immigration minister granted that post-secondary institutions in Canada may well suffer a financial blow due to lower international student enrollments but he insisted this shortfall in revenues at colleges and universities can be offset by more provincial investment in education.
“We have to make this a system that is more quality-oriented,” Miller reportedly said.
“We have to make sure that we have more diversity, more qualified, more talented bunch of people coming into the country, and to make sure that they know exactly what they’re getting into. Canada is not a cheap place to live in.”
Speaking at a citizenship ceremony in Calgary, the immigration minister suggested Canada will be taking a closer look at how many people it lets into the country both in terms of temporary and permanent immigration.
“We need to take a step back and look at the historic volumes of people coming here and their impact on housing and healthcare, on education and the infrastructure needs of this country,” said Miller.
Immigration is driving Canadian population growth
Immigration is a big driver of Canadian population growth – and consumer demand in the country.
In the first quarter of this year, Canada’s population surpassed 41 million, hitting 41,012,563 on Apr. 1, Statistics Canada reported last month.
This milestone was reached less than one year after the statistical and demographic services agency announced the population had hit the 40 million mark on June 16, 2023.
“The population grew by 242,673 people during the first quarter of 2024, which corresponds to a quarterly increase of 0.6 per cent,” noted Statistics Canada.
“This growth rate is the same as that seen in the fourth quarter of 2023 … as well as in the first quarter of 2023.”
A whopping 99.3 per cent of Canada’s population growth is attributable to immigration.
Temporary immigration to Canada was the cause of half of the country’s population growth during the first quarter of this year.
With the cap on the number of study permit applications now in effect, Canada saw a drop in the number of study permits granted in the five months that ended in May.
The latest IRCC data reveals the number of international students who were given study permits during that period was 2.4 per cent less than for the five months in 2023.
Last year, the number of international students granted study permits in Canada shot up to 683,585, up 70.6 per cent from 400,590 in 2022.
Ottawa has also clamped down on some practices which made it relatively easy for international students to circumvent the often-lengthy immigration process and jump to the head of the queue.
Earlier this year, the federal government put the kibosh on the issuance of Post-Graduation Work Permits (PGWP) at its borders to curb a practice called flagpoling whereby foreign nationals leave the country and re-enter the same day to get immigration services immediately and avoid lengthy processing times.
IRCC clamps down on flagpoling to get PGWPs
“While we continue to support and recognize the contributions of international graduates to Canada’s labour market, ‘flagpoling’ is unnecessary,” said Miller.
“The time and effort required to process applications from ‘flagpolers’ takes officers on both sides of the border away from their crucial role in protecting the safety, security and prosperity of Canadians and Americans. This measure will help prevent this practice, while maintaining the integrity of our immigration system.”
From March 1 last year to the end of February this year, PGWP applicants represented about one fifth of the foreign nationals who attempted to flagpole, reveals the IRCC.
Study permits usually expire 90 days after the expected completion of an international student’s study program. When an eligible graduating student applies online for a PGWP before their study permit expires, he or she can work full-time while awaiting approval and receive an automated letter which can be shown to employers. When a work permit is approved, it is then mailed directly to the applicant.
