Canada’s Immigration Minister, Marc Miller, announced a limit on the quantity of student visas that will be granted during the following two years. The cap will go into force for two years, and then it will be reevaluated in 2025. This information was released a few weeks after the UK tightened its requirements for Indian students seeking overseas visas. This year, Indian students would no longer be permitted to enroll family members in any courses other than postgraduate research programmes and those that are supported by government scholarships. According to UK Home Office estimates, this will result in a 140,000 reduction in immigration to the Kingdom from those who enter using student visas as a backdoor to work in the UK.
For 2024, the Canadian federal government aims to approve 360,000 undergraduate study permits, marking a 35 percent reduction from 2023. This decision will significantly impact Indian students, who represent the largest group of international students in Canada, receiving over 41 percent of permits in 2022. Additionally, around 300,000 Indian students went to Canada in 2023 alone. Under the new system, provinces and territories will be allocated a portion of the total permits based on population, leading to more significant decreases in regions experiencing unsustainable growth in the international student population. Each region will have the flexibility to decide how permits are distributed across universities and colleges.
Minister Miller voiced worries about certain private universities exploiting foreign students by operating with inadequate resources, providing no assistance to students, charging exorbitant tuition, and dramatically growing their enrollment of foreign students. The federal government has announced that in addition to the cap, overseas students must now submit an attestation letter from a province or territory with their application for a permit. Miller made it clear that these actions are not intended to harm any specific foreign students, but rather to guarantee the caliber of education for those who will be studying in Canada in the future.
Miller also disclosed modifications to the work visa program following graduation. International students enrolled in programmes covered by a curriculum licensing arrangement will no longer be qualified for a post-graduation work visa as of September 1. Candidates for a three-year work permit may be those who have completed a master’s degree or other short graduate-level programs. Only spouses of overseas students enrolled in master’s and doctorate degrees will be eligible for open work visas. These actions are in response to earlier declarations made by Miller that targeted “the diploma equivalent of puppy mills.”
