Canada is taking steps to limit the number of of international students coming into the country, Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced on Monday.Speaking from the Liberal cabinet retreat in Montreal, Miller said Canada would reduce the number of student visas by 35% over the next two years as a temporary measure to address concerns such as housing and labour shortages while targeting “bad actors” in the academic system accused of twisting the rules for profit.“In order to maintain a sustainable level of temporary residence in Canada, as well as to ensure that there is no further growth in the number of international students in Canada for 2024, we are setting a national application intake cap for a period of two years for 2024,” he said..As of 2022, India topped the list of origin countries for study permit holders in Canada with more than 319,000 Indian students in colleges and universities. Times of India.Depending on enrollment, the cap is expected to result in the issuance of 364,000 study permits this year, down about 35% from 2023. Provinces and territories will still be left to decide how the permits are distributed to institutions within their jurisdictions.Starting in 2024, students will also have to demonstrate sufficient financial resources to apply as an international student, with a minimum of $20,635 in their banks accounts — up from $10,000 last year — to prove they can keep up with the cost of living in this country. That’s on top of any tuition they are required to pay."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.Although it is a national program, it will be applied differently in different regions of the country depending on their specific labour needs. To that end, applicants will need attestation letters from the relevant province or territory.“In the spirit of fairness, we are also allocating the cap space by province based on population,” Miller added. “Some provinces will see much more significant reductions.”.”The proposed cap could have far-reaching implications for these students, potentially limiting opportunities for higher education in Canada,”Times of India.At the top of that list are Ontario and BC which have already been in discussions with the federal government. In addition, Ottawa will be making changes to the issuance of post-graduate work programs that allows international students — or their spouses — to work in Canada following completion of their degrees.“In the coming weeks, open work permits will only be allowed and be available to spouses of international students enrolled in master’s and doctoral programs, as well as professional programs such as medicine and law.Spouses of international students enrolled in other levels of study, including undergraduate and college programs, will no longer be eligible.At the previous Liberal confab last summer, several federal ministers including Housing Minister Sean Fraser and Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc previously indicated Ottawa was considering a cap on student intake although Miller himself was opposed at the time. The news was duly noted in both Xinhua the Chinese government’s official English mouthpiece and in The Times of India.As of 2022, India topped the list of origin countries for study permit holders in Canada with more than 319,000 Indian students in colleges and universities. That’s over and above the 500,000 immigrants Canada took in last year.”The proposed cap could have far-reaching implications for these students, potentially limiting opportunities for higher education in Canada,” it said.
Canada is taking steps to limit the number of of international students coming into the country, Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced on Monday.Speaking from the Liberal cabinet retreat in Montreal, Miller said Canada would reduce the number of student visas by 35% over the next two years as a temporary measure to address concerns such as housing and labour shortages while targeting “bad actors” in the academic system accused of twisting the rules for profit.“In order to maintain a sustainable level of temporary residence in Canada, as well as to ensure that there is no further growth in the number of international students in Canada for 2024, we are setting a national application intake cap for a period of two years for 2024,” he said..As of 2022, India topped the list of origin countries for study permit holders in Canada with more than 319,000 Indian students in colleges and universities. Times of India.Depending on enrollment, the cap is expected to result in the issuance of 364,000 study permits this year, down about 35% from 2023. Provinces and territories will still be left to decide how the permits are distributed to institutions within their jurisdictions.Starting in 2024, students will also have to demonstrate sufficient financial resources to apply as an international student, with a minimum of $20,635 in their banks accounts — up from $10,000 last year — to prove they can keep up with the cost of living in this country. That’s on top of any tuition they are required to pay."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.Although it is a national program, it will be applied differently in different regions of the country depending on their specific labour needs. To that end, applicants will need attestation letters from the relevant province or territory.“In the spirit of fairness, we are also allocating the cap space by province based on population,” Miller added. “Some provinces will see much more significant reductions.”.”The proposed cap could have far-reaching implications for these students, potentially limiting opportunities for higher education in Canada,”Times of India.At the top of that list are Ontario and BC which have already been in discussions with the federal government. In addition, Ottawa will be making changes to the issuance of post-graduate work programs that allows international students — or their spouses — to work in Canada following completion of their degrees.“In the coming weeks, open work permits will only be allowed and be available to spouses of international students enrolled in master’s and doctoral programs, as well as professional programs such as medicine and law.Spouses of international students enrolled in other levels of study, including undergraduate and college programs, will no longer be eligible.At the previous Liberal confab last summer, several federal ministers including Housing Minister Sean Fraser and Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc previously indicated Ottawa was considering a cap on student intake although Miller himself was opposed at the time. The news was duly noted in both Xinhua the Chinese government’s official English mouthpiece and in The Times of India.As of 2022, India topped the list of origin countries for study permit holders in Canada with more than 319,000 Indian students in colleges and universities. That’s over and above the 500,000 immigrants Canada took in last year.”The proposed cap could have far-reaching implications for these students, potentially limiting opportunities for higher education in Canada,” it said.
