Question Period Note: International Students

Significant increase in the number of international students coming to Canada over the past five years resulting in increased student vulnerability.

• International students enhance Canada’s social, cultural and economic fabric, but recent unsustainable growth in the number of students required action.

• Canada needs to return to sustainable levels by reducing the proportion of temporary workers and international students compared to the Canadian population by 2027.

• The Department has strengthened the International Student Program and going forward, we aim to attract international students to Canada’s world-class learning institutions, ensuring strong supports in welcoming communities.

• If pressed:
• The number of international students in Canada was 4% lower at the end of 2024 compared to the same day in 2023, and IRCC issued 41% fewer new study permits in 2024 compared to 2023.
• While early signs indicate that recent measures to decrease the number of temporary residents are showing results, other measures will take time, including the recent changes to work permit access for spouses of workers and students introduced in early 2025.

• Leading up to the ISP reforms, we were seeing a number of concerning developments that threatened the integrity of the immigration system.
o In an effort by some DLIs to significantly increase their intakes to drive revenues, the number of international students arriving in Canada increased rapidly, without the proper supports they needed to succeed.
o At the same time, we also saw an increase in the number of international students claiming asylum soon after being approved for their study permit.
o Further, we saw the rise of nefarious actors preying on international students for financial gain.

• To address these issues, over the past two years IRCC has implemented a suite of measures to achieve a number of interrelated objectives:
o address unsustainable growth;
o better calibrate the volume and requirements of the International Student Program with permanent resident programs;
o strengthen program integrity;
o reduce student vulnerability; and,
o incentivize greater diversification of the international student population.
• Measures include:
o The introduction of an enhanced letter of acceptance verification system to better protect prospective students from letter of acceptance fraud;
o An increase to the financial threshold for study permit applicants from $10,000 to approximately $20,000, to help ensure that international students are better prepared for life in Canada;
o The implementation of an intake cap on most study permit applications, in order to stabilize the international student population;
o The launch of the Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot, which aims to welcome and retain French-speaking international students in Francophone minority communities outside of Quebec;
o Amendments to the Post-Graduation Work Permit program so that it is better aligned with Canada’s labour market shortages and can therefore provide a smoother transition to permanent residence; and,
o New regulations that are meant to strengthen the integrity of the program by imposing consequences on DLIs that do not follow the rules for reporting student compliance and verifying letters of acceptance.

Statistics
• The number of international students in Canada was 4% lower on December 31, 2024 compared to December 31, 2023, and IRCC issued 41% fewer new study permits in 2024 compared to 2023.
• On March 19, 2025, Statistics Canada released its quarterly population estimate, which showed a net decrease of ~28K non-permanent residents as of January 1, 2025, compared to October 1 2024.
• The decrease in non-permanent residents reported by Statistics Canada was driven by a ~32K quarterly decrease in study permit holders.

If pressed on processing times:
• There are several variables that can influence processing times, and IRCC is continuously working to uphold service standards by identifying and addressing these factors.
• The department is actively working on improving this issue and how processing times are reflected on our website.
If pressed on approval rates:
• As a result of recent reform measures, new requirements have been introduced such as higher financial requirements, enhanced Letter of Acceptance verification processes and Provincial Attestation Letters.
• An enhanced focus on program integrity and changes to requirements may be contributing to lower approval rates. However, approval rates are expected to stabilize over time.
If pressed on international students claiming asylum
• Under the law, anyone claiming asylum in Canada has the right to due process. However, there are no guarantees that an asylum seeker will be allowed to stay in Canada.