According to Canada’s immigration minister, certain dishonest actors have been taking advantage of Canada’s international student program for years.
Canada has decided to limit the number of foreign degree and postgraduate students. It is planned to issue 35 percent fewer student visas this year than last year. The upper limit of visas granted for 2025 will be assessed at the end of the year.
The main reason for the restrictions is the housing shortage, which is considered to be exacerbated by foreign students.
– Housing production, health care and other public services cannot keep up with this growth, says the immigration minister Marc Miller.
According to Miller, reducing the number of student visas would improve the availability of housing and thus reduce the unreasonably high housing costs.
In 2023, Canada’s population will increase by about one million people. 560,000 study visas were issued last year. With the growth, the country’s population rose above 40 million inhabitants for the first time.
Canada’s rapid population growth and the burden it causes on public services has become a challenge for the Prime Minister For Justin Trudeau. Several opinion polls show that Trudeau would lose power if elections were held in Canada right now.
Dishonest operators to be disciplined
According to Miller, dishonest operators have been taking advantage of Canada’s international student program for years.
– Certain private institutions have exploited foreign students by running under-budgeted campuses, where the support and education the students have received has been non-existent. At the same time, they charge high tuition fees and constantly increase the number of students arriving from abroad, says the immigration minister.
In addition to reducing the number of students arriving from abroad, Canada is also starting to limit the work permits granted to foreign students. According to Miller, certain “educational institutions” issue study permits only to provide access to the country for foreigners aspiring to Canada.
According to him, this practice is unacceptable.
– The purpose of the international student program is not to provide people with an invalid business and entrepreneurship education so that someone can immigrate to Canada permanently to drive Uber.
The Canadian Federation of Student Organizations has criticized the reform. According to the union, instead of restrictions, foreign students need more support and apartments. The University of Toronto, one of the country’s largest and most prestigious universities, welcomes the new restrictions.
Sources: AP, Reuters, AFP