Canada: Two year limit on new foreign student visas
Canada’s Immigration Minister Mark Miller said the government is imposing a two-year limit on new international student visas to combat the housing crisis and institutional “bad actors.” As part of the cap there will be a 35 per cent reduction in new study visas in 2024. This will directly impact Indian students.
Meanwhile, immigrant and student advocacy groups in Canada have protested the two-year limit on study permits, saying foreign students have been made scapegoats for Canada’s growing housing crisis. Mark Miller said this two-year limit is expected to result in 364,000 newly approved permits in 2024.
More than five lakh visas were issued in the year 2023
About 560,000 such visas were issued last year. The number of permits to be issued in 2025 will be reevaluated later this year. CBC News quoted Miller as saying, “To maintain a sustainable level of temporary residence in Canada, as well as to ensure that the number of international students in Canada does not increase further by 2024, A national application entry limit of two years is being set.”
Canada facing housing crisis
The move comes amid pressure from provinces on the federal government over the rising number of non-permanent residents entering Canada as the country grapples with a housing crisis. The move is expected to impact students from India who see Canada as a preferred destination for higher studies. Miller has previously said imposing limits on international students would not be a one-size-fits-all solution to the housing shortage across Canada.
