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 * Home
 * Canada
 * Canada announces two-year cap on new study permits

22nd Jan 2024


CANADA ANNOUNCES TWO-YEAR CAP ON NEW STUDY PERMITS

Short on time? Here are the highlights:
 * Canada will establish a cap on the number of new study permits issued to
   international students
 * The cap will be in effect for 2024 and 2025, and is described as a temporary
   measure
 * Canadian immigration officials anticipate that the cap will result in a 35%
   reduction in the number of new study permits issued in 2024, compared to 2023
   levels
 * In addition to the cap, the government also announced today that as of 1
   September 2024, students enrolled in programmes delivered via public-private
   partnerships will no longer be eligible for post-graduate work permits
 * The government will also move to limit open work permits available to spouses
   of international students
 * However, post-graduate work rights will be expanded for students completing
   graduate studies in Canada, with such students soon being able to apply for a
   three-year post-graduate work permit

Immigration Minister Marc Miller has announced that Canada will establish a
temporary, two-year cap on the number of new study permits issued to
international students. The move is the latest in a series of measures the
government has taken in recent months to tighten integrity controls within the
student visa programme.



Speaking in Montréal on 22 January, Minister Miller said, "These measures are to
ensure that as future students arrive in Canada, they receive the quality of
education that they signed up for and the hope that they were provided in their
home countries. It would be a disservice to welcome international students to
Canada knowing that not all of them are getting the resources they need to
succeed in Canada. Allowing bad actors to continue their operations would be a
disservice to all of the good institutions who pride themselves on providing a
top-tier academic experience."

Signalling the government's key concerns, he added, “It is 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 the while significantly increasing their intake of
international students."

The government is announcing three principal measures today, most notably a
temporary two-year cap on new international study permits.

"[This] is the latest in a series of measures to improve programme integrity,
and to set international students up for success in order to maintain a
sustainable level of temporary residence in Canada as well," said Mr Miller.
"For 2024, the cap is expected to result in approximately 364,000 approved study
permits, a decrease of 35% from [the number of study permits issued in] 2023."



"In the spirit of fairness, we are also allocating the cap space by province
based on population…some provinces will see much more significant reductions.
Some provinces will actually have room to [grow] if they so choose but the
provinces that have been most heavily effected will have to decrease by about
50% or perhaps even a bit more than 50%, when it comes to new incoming
[students]."

The minister also announced that effective immediately, applicants must provide
a provincial attestation with their study permit application. A related
statement from IRCC notes that, "Provinces and territories are expected to
establish a process for issuing attestation letters to students by no later than
31 March 2024."

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He was quick to caution that the cap will not apply to students in
graduate-level programmes, including master's or doctoral studies. Study permit
applications at the elementary and secondary school levels will also be exempt
from the cap. Those exemptions may call into question the minister's assertion
that the cap will result in a 35% reduction.

However, the distribution of study permits for 2023 by level of study would
suggest the actual reduction could be significantly less. IRCC data indicates
that there were a total of 579,075 study permits issued during the year. Capping
that total at 364,000 would indeed amount to more than a 35% decrease. But
factoring out permits for K-12 students alone (of which there were 105,160),
would bring the reduction to 23%. And, given that graduate students are also
exempt, it would appear the actual reduction under the cap is likely to be
closer to, perhaps even less than, 20%.

In any case, Mr Miller was quick to note that the cap will not impact continuing
students, "To be clear, the cap will not apply to applicants within Canada
looking to extend their studies as it wouldn't be fair to prevent someone from
finishing their programme. Nor will the cap have an effect on study permit
holders currently in Canada."

The cap will be in place for two years, and the number of new study permit
applications that will be issued in 2025 will be assessed at the end of 2024.
IRCC adds, "During [the two-year cap period], the Government of Canada will
continue to work with provinces and territories, designated learning
institutions and national education stakeholders on developing a sustainable
path forward for international students, including finalizing a recognised
institution framework, determining long-term sustainable levels of international
students, and ensuring post-secondary institutions are able to provide adequate
levels of student housing."


CHANGES COMING FOR WORK ELIGIBILITY

Minister Miller also announced today that as of 1 September of this year,
post-graduate work permits will no longer be available to students enrolled in
programmes delivered via public-private partnerships. This model is especially
prevalent in Ontario where international enrolment in programmes offered via
such partnerships or licensing arrangements has skyrocketed in recent years.

The Minister's concluded his announcements today by noting that, "In the coming
weeks we will be announcing that open work permits will only be allowed and be
available to spouses of international students enrolled in master's and doctoral
programmes as well as those enrolled in professional programmes, such as
medicine and law. Spouses of students enrolled in other levels of study,
including undergraduate and college programmes, will no longer be eligible [for
work permits]."

At the same time, the government is also moving to expand post-study work rights
for graduate students, explaining that, "Graduates of master’s and other short
graduate-level programs will soon be eligible to apply for a three-year work
permit. Under current criteria, the length of a post­graduation work permit is
based solely on the length of an individual’s study program, hindering master’s
graduates by limiting the amount of time they have to gain work experience and
potentially transition to permanent residence."


STAKEHOLDERS RESPOND

Peak bodies and other stakeholders and observers have been quick to respond to
the study permit cap.

A statement from the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE) puts it
plainly, "CBIE recognises that IRCC has chosen to take leadership on issues in
international education using the policy levers available to them. However, we
are concerned that IRCC’s earnest approach to ‘fix the problem’ through a
wide-sweeping cap on the number of international students coming to Canada may
have serious unintended consequences.  This hasty one-size-fits-all solution may
jeopardize the benefits of international education that many communities across
the country experience and rapidly unravel a strong global Canadian education
brand that has taken years to build."

"We are concerned about the potential ramifications this decrease – and its
rollout – will have on current and prospective international students,
Canadians, their communities, and the country," said Colleges and Institutes
Canada (CICan). "This approach, characterised by Minister Miller as a “blunt
instrument,” will have far-reaching consequences across the sector, especially
in key regions, including the possibility of layoffs, closures and increased
tuition fees – all of which will inevitably affect both Canadian and
international students."

Writing on his blog this week, industry consultant Alex Usher added, "[IRCC is]
using language about 'fall 2024,' but there are already students applying for
visas for fall 2024. For any of these initiatives to mean anything in fall 2024,
they would have to be implemented almost immediately—and that would mean
suspending visa processing almost immediately until provinces got their act
together with respect to allocating visa spots and issuing certificates. This
could create a lot of uncertainty in the short term."

For additional background, please see:

   
 * "Canadian immigration minister says government is considering cap on
   international student visas"
   
   
 * "Canada: College’s decision to revoke 500+ admissions offers puts spotlight
   on Ontario’s public-private partnerships"
   

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