Canada: Canada’s Immigration Minister Mark Miller has said the government is imposing a two-year limit on international student visas to deal with the housing crisis and institutional ‘bad actors’. This will directly impact Indians.
Canada: Canada has announced there will be an immediate two-year limit on new international student visas, citing the housing crisis and tackling institutional ‘bad actors’. This decision of Canada is likely to affect Indians who dream of studying there.
Canadian Immigration Minister Mark Miller said new study visas will be reduced by 35 per cent in 2024 as part of the cap. This cap is expected to result in 364,000 new approved permits in 2024. About 560,000 such visas were issued last year.
This limit will remain in effect for two years; He said the number of permits to be issued in 2025 will be reevaluated later this year.
Global News quoted Miller as saying, “In order 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.”
CBC News said the move comes amid pressure from provinces on the federal government over the growing number of non-permanent residents entering Canada as the country grapples with a housing crisis.
Miller said earlier this month that imposing limits on international students would not be a “one-size-fits-all solution” to the housing shortage across Canada.
More than 800,000 international students were issued temporary study visas in 2022. Miller last said the 2023 number was likely to be more than three times what was acknowledged 10 years ago.
The move is expected to impact students from India who look at Canada as a preferred destination for higher studies. Miller said that by imposing the limits the federal government is taking action against some small private colleges.
In an interview with CBC News on Monday, Miller talked about “degree-granting institutions that are offering fake business degrees” to students hoping to stay in Canada. The minister said there may be “hundreds” of such schools operating in Canada and that the number “has increased over the years.”
In addition to the limit, the federal government will also require international students applying for a permit to provide a letter of verification from a province or territory.
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