In an effort to address the housing problem and punish institutional “bad actors,” Canada has declared that it would immediately impose a two-year restriction on new foreign student visas. This announcement is likely to have an impact on Indian students who are going to study there. According to Immigration Minister Marc Miller, the cap would result in a 35% decrease in new study visas issued in 2024. In 2024, it is anticipated that the cap will lead to 3,64,000 newly authorised licences. Last year, around 5,60,000 student visas were granted.

He added that the cap will be in effect for two years and that at the conclusion of this year, a new assessment will be made about the number of licences to be given in 2025. We are imposing a national application intake quota for two years starting in 2024 to guarantee that there is no additional rise in the number of international students in Canada and to preserve a sustainable level of temporary residency in Canada,” Mr. Miller was cited by Global News as saying. As the nation grapples with a housing crisis, the provinces are exerting pressure on the federal government to take action about the growing number of non-permanent immigrants entering the country, according to CBC News. Earlier this month, Mr. Miller stated that there would be no “one-size-fits-all answer” to Canada’s housing constraints if there was a restriction on foreign students.

Concentrating on institutional “bad actors”

Mr. Miller claimed that certain small private universities are being targeted by the federal government because of the cap. The action will assist the government in pursuing institutional “bad actors,” according to him. It’s intolerable that several private universities have exploited foreign students by running underfunded campuses, offering little student assistance, and charging exorbitant tuition rates while concurrently greatly expanding their enrolment of foreign students,” Miller stated.

According to Mr. Miller, there would be a whole 50% decrease in licences in several provinces. It will be up to the provinces and territories to choose how permits are allocated among institutions and universities within their purview. The cap will be in effect for two years, after which, at the conclusion of this year, the number of licences to be given in 2025 will be reevaluated.

Mr. Miller discussed “degree-granting schools that are issuing bogus business degrees” to students who want to remain in Canada in an interview with CBC News on January 22. The minister said that the number of these schools has “exploded in the last few of years” and that there may be “hundreds” of them operating in Canada. The federal government will also want an attestation letter from a province or territory from overseas students requesting a permit, in addition to the cap.

These actions are not directed at any specific foreign students,” Mr. Miller declared. “Their responsibility is to guarantee that incoming students in Canada obtain the calibre of education they committed to and the hope they were denied back home. In addition, he disclosed modifications to the post-graduation work permit initiative. A post-graduation work visa will no longer be available to overseas students who enrol in courses that are part of a curriculum licencing agreement (one in which a private college has been granted permission to provide the curriculum of a related public college) as of September 1.

The government said that graduates of master’s and other “short graduate-level courses” will be eligible to apply for a three-year work visa “soon.” Spouses of foreign master’s and doctorate programme participants will also be eligible for open work visas.

The minister referred to the adjustments as “the diploma equivalent of puppy mills,” and Mr. Miller initially outlined actions aimed at addressing this issue little over a month ago. The revisions were made public on January 23.

Trudeau’s “handling of affairs”

Leader of the Conservative Party Pierre Poilievre referred to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as “incompetent” and stated that he bears full responsibility. “It was him who gave the study licences. That’s the job of the federal government, “Declared Mr. Poilievre. The head of the New Democratic Party, Jenny Kwan, likewise attributed Mr. Trudeau’s “mismanagement.” She said that “bright students who desire to establish a better life” could be punished by the new cap.

The government of Ontario acknowledges that “some unscrupulous actors are taking advantage of these students with false claims of assured employment, residence and Canadian citizenship,” according to a media statement sent by Minister of Colleges and Universities Jill Dunlop.

According to the minister, Ontario and the federal government have been discussing “methods to crack down on certain behaviours, such predatory recruiting. The province “will need to analyse the consequences of the changes made by the federal government once we have more data, including provincial appropriations,” according to a statement released by the Department of Advanced Education in Nova Scotia.

Canada announces two-year cap on international student visas

A two-year cap on admissions for overseas students is scheduled to be announced by Immigration Minister Marc Miller. The minister said this step will provide federal and provincial authorities the chance to rectify a system that he believes exploitatively charges exorbitant tuition to overseas students, frequently leading to inferior education, at a press conference earlier on Monday in Ottawa.

This restriction will result in a 35 percent drop in the total number of new study visas issued this year; in other jurisdictions, like Ontario, the cutbacks will be considerably more severe, reaching 50 percent. Miller emphasises that as of September 1, students at universities using a private-public model will not be able to receive postgraduate employment permits from the government.

And in the upcoming weeks, spouses of students enrolled in professional programmes like law and medicine as well as master’s and doctorate degrees will be the only ones eligible for open work permits. Miller highlights the federal government’s dedication to working with the provinces, while admitting that the problem may not have been resolved as quickly as hoped. The housing crisis has brought immigration to Canada under intense scrutiny.

Pierre Poilievre, the leader of the Conservatives, recently stated, “It’s quite basic math.” Homes costs will rise if there are more immigrant families than there is available housing for them. He made a suggestion that the Conservatives might put a restriction on immigration if they were elected.

We need to align the immigration figures with the construction of new homes.” Immigration growth shouldn’t outpace the addition of new physicians, housing stock, and employment opportunities.