Canada has a message for foreign students: You can’t all stay

Canada is currently re-evaluating how many long-term visas it issues to international students, signaling a shift in the government’s approach to managing immigration and population growth.

In discussions between federal and provincial officials, the focus has been on aligning the influx of international students with actual labor market needs, as shared by Immigration Minister Marc Miller in a phone interview. For years, Canada’s universities and colleges have been a key pathway for bringing in educated, working-age immigrants. However, Miller emphasized that holding a study visa should not be seen as a guarantee of future residency or citizenship in Canada.

“That should never be the promise. People should be coming here to educate themselves and perhaps go home and bring those skills back to their country,” Miller stated. “That hasn’t always been the recent case.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been under growing pressure due to the rising cost of living, the competition for limited housing, and increasing unemployment rates. As part of the response, Canada has imposed a new cap on the number of international student visas it issues. This year, the country is expecting to issue fewer than 300,000 new student permits, down from about 437,000 last year.

Now, there’s a heightened focus on determining which of these students should stay after completing their studies. According to Miller, Canada needs to ensure that the jobs available for international students align with the studies they’ve completed. There’s ongoing discussion about how to better match post-graduate work permits with labor shortages across different provinces.

“The logic for having uncapped or uncontrolled draws from abroad is no longer there,” Miller explained.

The number of individuals in Canada with post-graduate work permits (PGWP) has been increasing rapidly. In 2022, there were 132,000 new PGWP holders in Canada, which marks a 78% rise from four years prior, based on government data.

Miller noted that any changes to immigration policy would require input from both governments and businesses. He also mentioned that the Trudeau administration is scrutinizing the temporary foreign worker program, which some believe has been “used and abused.” Miller has committed to reducing the proportion of temporary residents in Canada from nearly 7% of the population to 5%.

In recent weeks, foreign workers in Prince Edward Island have protested, with some even resorting to hunger strikes, after the provincial government reduced the number of permanent residency nominations for sales and service workers.

“Canada is now being seen as less welcoming than it has been before,” Miller acknowledged. He added that the idea of obtaining a study visa is increasingly being viewed less as an easy path to permanent residency and more as a chance for a high-quality education—something the government intends to reinforce.

After a roundtable with local media in Surrey, British Columbia, which has a large immigrant population from South Asia, Miller expressed concern over signs of racism in Canada. “We’ve built a very important consensus around immigration in Canada, but that’s being chipped away at,” he said.

FAQs

1. Why is Canada reducing the number of international student visas?
   Canada is adjusting the number of international student visas to better align with labor market needs and to manage population growth, particularly given the pressures on housing and employment.
2. Will a study visa guarantee permanent residency in Canada?
   No, holding a study visa in Canada does not guarantee permanent residency. The Canadian government emphasizes that international students are expected to use their education in their home countries.
3. How is Canada addressing concerns about racism related to immigration?
   Immigration Minister Marc Miller has acknowledged the growing signs of racism in Canada and stressed the importance of maintaining the country’s consensus on immigration. The government is committed to addressing these issues while adjusting its immigration policies.After a roundtable with local media in Surrey, British Columbia, which has a large immigrant population from South Asia, Miller expressed concern over signs of racism in Canada. “We’ve built a very important consensus around immigration in Canada, but that’s being chipped away at,” he said.