In the latest bid to assuage public concern about temporary residents, Canada will cut the number of international study permits it issues and make eligibility for work permits tougher to obtain. The move, announced Wednesday, illustrates efforts by the federal government to try to better manage this country’s rising population of temporary residents–international students and foreign workers alike.
It is at such a crucial juncture for Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government who has witnessed approval ratings plummet and shouted at much political angst after suffering a humiliating by-election defeat. Added to this, with a federal election around the corner no later than October 2025, immigration issues have become a contentious issue now that public opinion appears to be wavering on that same.
Critical Policy Changes
International study permits will be reduced to 437,000 by 2025 from 509,390, which were approved in 2023. For the starting year of 2024, till the first seven months, the permit issued accounted for as many as 175,920. This indicates a sharp decline in the approvals.Another impact of this new policy is that some spouses of international students and temporary foreign workers will not be eligible for work permits. This is part of efforts to control the number of temporary residents and have the immigration system remain manageable for both government and Canadian society.
Improving Visa Integrity
It also intends to introduce tougher measures to strengthen visa integrity, given the rise in refugee claimants. The government is transforming the decision-making mechanism on its visas to grant more gear to the immigration officers so that they are capable of detecting fraud. More importantly, it reduces the number of non-genuine visitors.“Reality is, not everybody will be able to come to Canada who wants to—just like not everybody will be able to stay in Canada who wants to,” Immigration Minister Marc Miller said in a statement.
Wider Policy Context
This policy shift supports the government’s target to push the share of temporary residents to 5% of the country’s population, from 6.8% recorded last April. Temporary residents who include international students and workers have always been blamed by society for problems such as housing and living issues, even though the government has controlled inflation at 2% in August-a target set by the Bank of Canada.Public and Economic Debate
While many associate elevated immigration with economic issues-the affordability crisis, for one-many immigrant advocates as well as certain economists argue that they do the immigrant himself a disservice when they attribute these dilemmas to him. The role of everyone in the problem, they argue, is mostly due to the over complicatedness of the economy, not possibly by attributing it to the vulnerable migrant.In fact, recent public opinion polls indicate increased public concern about the levels of immigration, with anti-immigrant rhetoric and incidents on the increase. Once known for its welcoming approach toward newcomers, Canada is now witnessing an unprecedented shift in public attitude, particularly following the passage of years during which both permanent and temporary resident numbers were increasing.
Temporary Foreign Worker Program Changes
In January this year, Canada also rolled out more limits on temporary foreign workers. Government tightened international students with a two-year limit, estimations pointing nearly to a 50% fall in approvals for 2024. Government also unwound the 2022 expansion to the temporary foreign worker program, lower set the maximum share of low-wage workers in particular industries and banning of low-wage temporary foreign workers in areas with high unemployment rates.
Immigration policies in Canada have shifted with time, balancing economic factors against the wishes of its citizenry. It was an election year, and there were many discussions of immigration and temporary residency for Canadians.