World News
Canada tightens restrictions on international students, will affect Indians
Canada has announced further cuts to the number of study permits granted to foreign students in a bid to reduce the number of temporary residents.
“We are granting 35% fewer international student permits this year. And next year, that number will drop by another 10%,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau posted on Twitter.
“Immigration is a benefit to our economy – but when bad people abuse the system and take advantage of students, we crack down on them,” he added.
According to data from the immigration department, Canada has approved 5,09,390 in 2023 and 1,75,920 in the first seven months of 2024 and the new move will reduce the number of international study permits to be issued in 2025 to 4,37,000.
These changes will also limit work permit eligibility for spouses of some students and temporary foreign workers.
The announcement comes at a time when Trudeau’s Liberal government, which is trailing in opinion polls ahead of federal elections next year, wants to reduce the number of temporary residents, including international students and foreign workers.
In January, Canada also imposed a two-year cap on international students.
According to Statistics Canada, the biggest jump in immigrant numbers comes from temporary residents, particularly students and workers, whose number is set to increase from 1.4 million in the second quarter of 2022 to 2.8 million in the second quarter of 2024.
Canada has already pledged to reduce the number of temporary residents to 5% of the total population, from 6.8% in April.
Migrants have been blamed for social pr8oblems in Canada, including a lack of affordable housing and rising cost of living.
How Canada’s new rules will affect Indians
Canada is one of the favourite destinations for Indian students. According to Indian government data released last month, around 13.35 lakh Indian students are studying abroad, of which around 4.27 lakh are in Canada.
Between 2013 and 2022, the number of Indian students going to study in Canada has seen a massive increase of 260 per cent.
According to a Reuters report earlier this year, around 40 per cent of foreign students in Canada were from India.
The Canadian government’s move to cut international student permits will now force Indian students to choose other options like the US, UK or Australia.
