To alleviate housing and healthcare demands, Canada has declared its intention to limit the admission of foreign students to the country for a duration of two years.
This measure will result in a 35% reduction in study permits for Nigerians and other global students. On January 22, 2024, Canada’s Immigration Minister, Marc Miller, disclosed the plan, stating Canada’s goal of approving approximately 360,000 undergraduate study permits this year.
Miller clarified that the allocation to each province and territory will be based on population and current student intake, distributing them among their universities. Notably, this cap pertains exclusively to students pursuing diploma or undergraduate programs and does not impact those seeking study permit renewals.
“Each province and territory will be allotted a portion of the total, distributed according to population,” Miller said.
“The federal government says this will result in much more significant decreases in provinces where the international student population has seen the most unsustainable growth.”
He mentioned that the restriction will last for a duration of two years, and the issuance of visas for 2025 will be reevaluated by the conclusion of 2024.
Additionally, Miller revealed that the government plans to discontinue issuing work permits to graduates from colleges operating under a public-private partnership model.
“It’s unacceptable that some private institutions have taken advantage of international students by operating under-resourced campuses, lacking supports for students and charging high tuition fees, all while significantly increasing their intake of international students,” he said.
He clarified that the new measures are “not against individual international students” but are meant to ensure future students receive the “quality of education that they signed up for.”
Canada’s population, mainly driven by immigration, reached a record 40 million people last year.
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