The Canadian government, led by the Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship, the Honourable Marc Miller, has introduced measures to stabilize and regulate the intake of international students in the country. Concerns about the integrity of the system have arisen due to increased enrollments for revenue generation, potentially compromising the support and services required for student success. To address this, a two-year cap on new international student permit applications has been announced, with a projected decrease of 35% in approved study permits for 2024. Provincial and territorial caps, weighted by population, will result in more significant reductions where growth has been unsustainable. Study permit renewals and certain categories, including master’s and doctoral programs, remain unaffected. The cap will be implemented through attestation letters from provinces and territories, starting January 22, 2024. Changes to the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program include ineligibility for students in curriculum licensing arrangements starting September 1, 2024, and eligibility for master’s degree graduates to apply for a 3-year work permit. Open work permits for spouses of international students will be limited to those in master’s and doctoral programs. These measures aim to ensure genuine students receive appropriate support while stabilizing the overall student population and addressing associated challenges in housing, healthcare, and services.
The Government of Canada introduces citizenship by descent legislation for Canadians
The Canadian government has introduced Bill C-3 to modernize citizenship laws. Currently, Canadian citizens, by descent (born abroad to Canadian parents), cannot pass citizenship to their children born outside Canada due to the first-generation limit. The new bill...