Following the Canadian government’s announcements of further restrictions last week, international education leaders are comparing their current situation to doing a puzzle in the dark.
“It feels like we are just feeling our way around, hearing what the Minister is saying, but knowing that conflicts with what we are being told by his own staff,” one anonymous source told the Koala. “We need someone to turn on the light and tell us at least what it is we are trying to build here. Every announcement just seems to be rushed and adds more confusion,” they said.
On September 18, the Immigration Minister, Marc Miller held a news conference to outline the latest in a series of rollbacks Canada has been undertaking to reduce the number of people coming into the country. The news conference was expected for some time, but according to those spoken to by the Koala, the information provided by the Minister was quite different from what was briefed to lobby groups and individual institutions only a day before the briefing. It is believed it may have been rushed due to the possibility of a snap election.
“The reality is that not everyone who wants to come to Canada will be able to – just like not everyone who wants to stay in Canada will be able to,” said Miller during his news conference. “Our immigration system must preserve its integrity and be well-managed and sustainable.”
Some of the key changes announced in the news conference included news that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will issue 437,000 study permits in 2025, down from the 2024 target of 485,000 new study permits. This was already down significantly from 2023. As well, the updated cap will now include master’s and doctoral students, who will no longer be exempt from obtaining a provincial attestation letter (PAL). Each institution, starting in 2024, was given a limit on their PALs. Twelve percent of PALs now are being allocated to graduate students.
“In reality, that means a 10 per cent cut, on top of a 12 per cent cut,” said the Koala source.
On top of that there is some confusion whether students who need extensions will now also need an additional PAL. If those students now need PALs, there is concern that will further reduce the number of PALs, institutions will be able to provide to bring in new students.
Other changes announced included a required English language test for students prior to being eligible for pos grad work permits, and if a student graduates from a college they need to demonstrate how they meet long term labour shortages. However, the method of determining what long term labour shortages mean was not articulated. As well, it seems that while colleges need to meet this requirement, universities do not, so again those spoken to by the Koala were unclear whether these changes are in fact going to be kept, or changed when the policies are released.
“But when those policies are actually going to come out is anyone’s guess,” the source said indicating the government announced students would be capped at working 24 hours per week in April. However, the actual policy has still not been released and students and administrators are still unsure what they should be doing in the meantime.
IRCC is also limiting work permit eligibility to spouses of master’s degree students whose program is at least 16 months in duration and tied to labour shortages. This is expected to result in 50,000 fewer spousal work permits being issued over the next three years.
The Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages, Randy Boissonnault spoke alongside Minister Miller. He pointed out that all Canadian growth by 2032 is dependent on immigration.
Colleges and Institutes Canada on their website indicated they are thankful for the certainty provided by setting the targets for the next two years. However, overall, they believe the measures announced will do significant harm, particularly to the college sector, which they feel was singled out.
“Today’s announcement removed open eligibility for the post-graduate work permit (PGWP) program only for students going through Canada’s public colleges,” the release said. “It forces colleges to align with national labour market targets. This creates a fundamental disconnect between the pressing needs of local labour markets and the essential contributions of skilled international graduates from the over 10,000 diploma and degree programs in high-demand fields.”
