Canada Announces Cap On International Student Admissions. What It Means

Canada's response to the crippling housing crisis has had the anticipated fallout on the intake of international students. Following up on Canadian immigration minister Marc Miller's October remarks amidst political pressure over a housing crisis, the Justin Trudeau government announced on Monday a 35% reduction in international student admissions for 2024. 

This translates to 360,000 approved study permits, compared to 2023 levels when it was around 900,000.

READ | Explained: Why Is Canada Capping Foreign Students And Who Will Be Impacted?

"Ahead of the September 2024 semester," stated Mr Miller, "we are prepared to take necessary measures, including limiting visas, to ensure designated learning institutions provide adequate and sufficient student support as part of the academic experience."

This cap on international student numbers is a temporary policy for two years. It will not affect current study permit holders or renewals. Additionally, it exempts students pursuing master's and doctoral degrees. 

Here's how the cap will be applied:

Provincial Quotas: The cap has been assigned to each province based on its accommodation and housing capacity.

Institutional Distribution: Provinces will then distribute the allocated number of international student admissions among various institutions.

Attestation Requirement: As a new documentation requirement, student permit applications must now include an attestation letter from a Canadian province or territory. This letter confirms the province's capacity to accommodate the proposed student.

Effective Date: This requirement is effective from January 22, 2024.

Implementation Deadline: Provinces have until March 31, 2024, to establish a mechanism for issuing the required attestation document.

Graduate Programs and Work Permits: The Canadian government has declared plans to reassess the cap in 2025. While most changes do not apply to graduate, professional, and doctoral programs, there are some noteworthy modifications:

Post-Graduate Work Permit: International students admitted under a curriculum licensing arrangement will no longer be eligible for the Post-Graduate Work Permit.

Spousal Open Work Permits: Open work permits will now only be available to spouses of international students enrolled in master's or doctoral programs. Spouses of undergraduate and college students will no longer be eligible.

Increased Cost-of-Living Requirement: In December, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) doubled the cost-of-living requirement for international students from CAD 10,000 to CAD 20,635. Citing rising inflation and financial challenges faced by many international students, the government claims this change aims to ensure students are better prepared for the actual cost of living in Canada.

A diplomatic row between India and Canada was triggered after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claimed that his government has "credible allegations" of India's involvement in the June killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil.

The row worsened after a US diplomat alleged that there was "shared intelligence among Five Eyes partners" that had prompted Mr Trudeau's allegation about Indian agents' involvement in the killing.

"Our relationship with India has really halved our ability to process a lot of applications from India," Mr Miller said, after the diplomatic row resulted in a decrease in the number of Indian students applying for Canadian universities.