The Canadian government has announced that it will impose a cap on the number of foreign students admitted to the country for the next two years. The move is aimed at addressing the pressure on housing and healthcare infrastructure.
As of now, there are over 800,000 foreign students in Canada, a significant increase from 214,000 a decade ago. Immigration Minister Marc Miller revealed the cap on Monday, stating that Canada intends to approve approximately 360,000 undergraduate study permits in the current year. Each province and territory will receive a designated portion of the total permits based on population and current student intake, and they will decide how to distribute them among their universities and colleges.
It’s worth noting that the cap will only apply to students in diploma or undergraduate programs and will not affect those applying for study permit renewals. Additionally, starting from September, the government will no longer issue work permits for students graduating from colleges operating under a public-private partnership model, mainly found in Ontario.
The decision is driven by the desire to maintain the “integrity” of the system, and officials have emphasized that it is not meant to be against individual international students. Minister Miller stated that the measures aim to ensure that future students receive the quality of education they signed up for, particularly addressing concerns about some private institutions taking advantage of international students.
This announcement coincides with the Trudeau government facing increasing pressure to tackle the rising housing costs in the country.
For Details: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/2024/01/canada-to-stabilize-growth-and-decrease-number-of-new-international-student-permits-issued-to-approximately-360000-for-2024.html