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Canadian authorities announced on Wednesday that they are further reducing the number of foreign students granted study permits and tightening eligibility for work permits in a bid to reduce the number of temporary residents in the country.
The changes announced on Wednesday would reduce the number of international study permits to 437,000 in 2025. According to immigration data, this is a drop from the 509,390 approved in 2023. !75,920 study permits were approved in the first seven months of 2024.
Work permit eligibility for spouses of some students and temporary workers would also e affected by the changes.
Meanwhile, since Canada is facing a surge in refugee claimants, the authorities plan to review measures to strengthen visa integrity. They are “reviewing visa decision-making so that our highly trained officers have the right tools to detect fraud and reduce the number of non-genuine visitors.”
Immigration Minister Marc Miller said, “The reality is that not everyone who wants to come to Canada will be able to – just like not everyone who wants to stay in Canada will be able to.”
The government plans to reduce the number of temporary residents to 5% of the population from 6.8% in April.
Polls show that a large part of the population thinks Canada is bringing in too many immigrants, and anti-migrant rhetoric and attacks have risen. The country was once renowned for its welcoming stance towards newcomers.
