Canada to cap international student visas for two years
Canada will cap international student visas for two years, Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced Monday morning.
“It’s unacceptable that some private institutions have taken advantage of international students by operating under-resourced campuses, lacking supports for students in charging high tuition fees, all the while significantly increasing their intake of international students,” he said during a press conference in Montreal.
He said the temporary application cap is expected to result in approximately 364,000 approved international student study permits, which is a decrease of 35% from 2023.
The cap space will be allocated by province based on population, so some regions will see “more significant reductions.”
For example, Ontario is expected to reduce 50% of its acceptance of study permits, according to the immigration minister. Ottawa is currently working with the provinces to set a cap space.
This announcement comes months after Housing Minister Sean Fraser told reporters that a cap is “one of the options” Ottawa is considering to address the lack of housing amidst the “explosive growth” of temporary immigration programs like the international student program.
While Miller didn’t address the housing crisis in his announcement, he did add that the new policy also aims to “maintain a sustainable level of temporary residence in Canada.”
The cap on international student visas was one of three new measures the minister introduced on Monday.
In addition to the limit, Miller says that effective immediately, international students must provide a provincial attestation with their study permit application.
He added that the cap will not apply to graduate students, including people getting their master’s and doctoral degrees, or students in elementary or secondary school.
The immigration minister also announced that as of September 1, 2024, post-graduate work permits will no longer be available to public or private institutions.
Lastly, Miller stated that in the coming weeks, the government will be announcing that open work permits will only be allowed and 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,” he said.
Miller clarified that the cap will not affect applicants already in Canada looking to extend their studies.
“These temporary measures will be in place for two years and the number of new study permit applications that will be accepted in 2025 will be reassessed at the end of this year,” he said.
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