The Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship of Canada, the Honourable Marc Miller, stated on January 22, 2024 at a press conference that the process to come to Canada as an International Student will be modified from now on. Three fundamental aspects were mentioned:
1. For the first time in many decades, there will be a limit on the number of applications for study permits approved in Canada. By 2024, only 364,000 will be approved, which represents a 35% reduction compared to 2023. The number of Study Permit applications approved for 2025 will be evaluated by the end of 2024.
This is a two-year temporary measure that is aimed solely at college and university students. Elementary, secondary, master’s and doctoral students will not be affected by this measure.
The limited number of international students that may come per year will be distributed by provinces depending on the number of people living in that territory, as well as the number of Designated Educational Institutions that also exist in that territory.
2. International Students must include in their application for Study Permit in Canada a proof or testimony provided by the province where they wish to study. This document is currently being created by the provinces, and they have until March 31 to submit it to the federal government.
Likewise, as part of the requirements to qualify for the Study Permit with the option of obtaining an open work permit upon graduation, students must apply only to public educational institutions as of September 1, 2024. In other words, international students who come to Canada to study at private institutions will not have access to a work permit after graduation, and therefore must return to their home country once their studies have concluded.
3. The open work permit will only be granted to spouses of international students registered in Masters and Ph.D. programs, as well as spouses of students of some professional programs such as medicine and law.
The limit on the number of study permits approved over the next two years will not affect international students already in Canada, nor will it affect those who are applying for an extension of their study permit.
These changes are in addition to the other recent changes implemented by the Honorable Marc Miller. Since January 2024, the amount of money that an international student must show in their study permit application to prove that they can cover their basic expenses in Canada has doubled. The amount went from $10,000 to $20,635. This amount only includes the main applicant, not partners or children, and also does not include the costs of the first year of school tuition, which must also be included in the application.
As of December 1, 2023, Designated Educational Institutions need to confirm with Immigration Canada all acceptance letters sent to study permit applicants who are outside of Canada.
The Honourable Minister of Immigration, Marc Miller, explained that maintaining a list of Designated Learning Institutions ensures the proper functioning of the systems in Canada because these institutions must provide housing for their students, which is one of the highest needs currently in the country.
According to CIC News, Canada admitted around 800,000 international students in 2022, and according to the immigration plan declared by the Minister of Immigration before the Parliament of Canada last October 2023, Canada has a limit of 485,000 applications for permanent residency in 2024. These numbers indicate that the number of international students admitted to Canada is quite high, and therefore, a limit has been decided on it.
The Minister of Immigration explained that the goal of these changes is to protect the integrity of Canadian systems and support sustainable demographic development in Canada while helping international students not fall victim to fraud and to receive the quality of education they deserve.