By Kazeem Ugbodaga
Canada has announced critical measures to limit number of international students, including Nigerians coming into the country to study.
Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Marc Miller, announced that the Government of Canada would set an intake cap on international student permit applications to stabilise new growth for a period of two years.
“For 2024, the cap is expected to result in approximately 360,000 approved study permits, a decrease of 35% from 2023. In the spirit of fairness, individual provincial and territorial caps have been established, weighted by population, which will result in much more significant decrease-s in provinces where the international student population has seen the most unsustainable growth.
“Study permit renewals will not be impacted. Those pursuing master’s and doctoral degrees, and elementary and secondary education are not included in the cap. Current study permit holders will not be affected.
“IRCC will allocate a portion of the cap to each province and territory, who will then distribute the allocation among their designated learning institutions. To implement the cap, as of January 22, 2024, every study permit application submitted to IRCC will also require an attestation letter from a province or territory. Provinces and territories are expected to establish a process for issuing attestation letters to students by no later than March 31, 2024,” Miller stated.
The minister said these temporary measures would be in place for two years, and that the number of new study permit applications that would be accepted in 2025 would be re-assessed at the end of this year.
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“During this 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 recognized institution framework, determining long-term sustainable levels of international students and ensuring post-secondary institutions are able to provide adequate levels of student housing,” he added.
In order to better align the Post-Graduation Work Permit Programme, the minister announced that the Canadian government is changing the eligibility criteria.
Under the new eligibility criteria, starting September 1, 2024, international students who begin a study programme that is part of a curriculum licensing arrangement will no longer be eligible for a post-graduation work permit upon graduation.
“Under curriculum licensing agreements, students physically attend a private college that has been licensed to deliver the curriculum of an associated public college.
“These programs have seen significant growth in attracting international students in recent years, though they have less oversight than public colleges and they act as a loophole with regards to post-graduation work permit eligibility,” the minister said.
Under the new criteria, graduates of master’s and other short graduate-level programs will soon be eligible to apply for a 3-year work permit.
Under current criteria, the length of a post-graduation work permit is based solely on the length of an individual’s study programme, hindering master’s graduates by limiting the amount of time they have to gain work experience and potentially transition to permanent residence.
“In the weeks ahead, open work permits will only be available to spouses of international students in master’s and doctoral programs. The spouses of international students in other levels of study, including undergraduate and college programs, will no longer be eligible.
“The important measures announced today complement other recently announced reforms to the International Student Programme. Taken together, they aim to ensure genuine students receive the support they require and have the resources they need for an enriching study experience in Canada, while at the same time stabilizing the overall number of students arriving and alleviating pressures on housing, health care and other services in Canada,” the minister said.
