Canada finally acted to curb the massive influx of foreign students with more than one-third from India who seem to be more problematic with crime and abuse of the student program to basically get immigration to Canada to work and then seek PR status. After much criticism including pressure on housing and abuse in the student program with money-grabbing Diploma mills run largely by Indo-Canadians, Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced this week he’s imposing a two-year cap on international student admissions which will reduce the total number of student permits by 35 percent.

By PD Raj – Senior Reporter With News Files

OTTAWA – Canada finally acted to curb the massive influx of foreign students with more than one-third from India who seem to be more problematic with crime and abuse of the student program to basically get immigration to Canada to work and then seek PR status.

After much criticism including pressure on housing and abuse in the student program with money-grabbing Diploma mills run largely by Indo-Canadians, Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced this week he’s imposing a two-year cap on international student admissions which will reduce the total number of student permits by 35 percent.

Miller hopes the cap will give the federal and provincial government time to curb a system that he says is taking advantage of high international student tuition while providing, in some cases, a poor education, reported Canadian Press.

The cap will mean a significant reduction in new study visas this year though some provinces, including Ontario, will see a reduction of 50 per cent or more.

Miller says the government will also bar students in schools that follow a private public model from accessing postgraduate work permits as of Sept. 1.

And in a few weeks, open work permits will only be available for the spouses of students enrolled in masters and doctoral programs, as well as professional programs such as medicine and law.

Millers says the federal government will work with provinces, who up to this point have not moved to fix the problem as quickly as he would have liked.

The move comes as the federal cabinet is in the midst of a three-day retreat in Montreal preparing for the upcoming sitting of Parliament. 

In a statement, the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change said today’s announcement capping international student admissions is not a solution and only hurts working class people and their families.

“Migrants are facing a roller-coaster of policy changes, with new announcements almost every day – we need predictability and transparency. At minimum that means the announcements today should not apply to anyone with a valid study permit or who has applied for a study permit. Otherwise, tens of thousands of students will be punished for failures of government policy,” read the statement from Sarom Rho with the Alliance for Change.

REDUCTION OF STUDENT PERMIT SUMMARY:

*Total quota for 2024 is 364,000 approved study permits a decrease of 35% from 2023.

*Spouses of International students other than Masters/PhD and specialised programs in medicine and law - will no longer be eligible for Spouse open work permits (SOWP).

*This will be implemented in coming weeks.

*This will not apply to current study permit holders in Canada and their spouses who are looking to extend.

*As of Sep 01, 2024 only Public-Private Institution models, will no longer be eligible for PGWP