The Government of Canada has clarified that study permits for international students do not guarantee permanent resident (PR) status or citizenship. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister Marc Miller highlighted in a Bloomberg interview that a study visa is not surely a pathway to PR, telling, “People should be coming here to educate themselves and perhaps go home and bring those skills back to their country.” He accepted that this has not always been the case just now.
Canada Tightens Immigration Rules Amid Housing Crisis
The government is now considering work needs when offering route to remain in Canada. Canada is viewed as “less welcoming” than before and that study permits are increasingly seen as less of a route to PR noted by Miller. This move comes among concerns that the rush of international students is contributing to high shelter costs, affecting housing affordability and rents. Miller refers that the positive consensus around immigration in Canada is destroying.
Experts including Toronto-based immigration lawyer Ravi Jain, argue that if the government is serious about this message, it should stop promoting studying as a route to PR through Express Entry and limit false advice from non-lawyer immigration consultants. Jain recommend restricting the practice of immigration law to qualified lawyers to make sure accurate guidance.
Canada Faces Backlash Over International Student Policy
The government of creating a situation potentially leading to the “mass deportation” of 70,000 international students accused by Naujawan Support Network. They emphasized the prohibitive and unpredictable nature of PR pathways, causing protests in areas like Manitoba, Prince Edward Island, and Ontario.
In 2023, Ottawa projects issuing not many than 300,000 study permits in 2024, down from 437,000. By May 2024, data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada shows 216,620 study permits issued. In the first four months of 2024, Permits issued (187,510) exceeded those for the same period in 2023 (165,805), with Indian students receiving a significant portion (81,260 permits).
Indian students accounted for 278,335 of the total 682,430 study permits issued by Canada in the year 2023. 91,510 of the 216,620 study permits have been granted to Indian students so far in 2024.
