Canada announced on Wednesday plans to significantly cut the number of international student permits next year and tighten regulations for foreign workers in an effort to reduce the number of temporary residents in the country.
This decision follows a series of recent measures aimed at managing record-high immigration levels, which pushed Canada’s population past 41 million earlier this year.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s administration has cited high immigration rates as a contributing factor to pressures on the country’s housing market, job sector, and social services.
“Coming to Canada is a privilege, not a right,” Immigration Minister Marc Miller stated during a press conference.
In 2025, Canada aims to issue 437,000 study permits to international students, a decrease from 485,000 this year and over 500,000 in 2023.
New restrictions will also limit work permits for the spouses of certain international students and foreign workers. Additionally, the government plans to intensify checks before granting travel visas to address a rise in fraudulent or rejected asylum applications.
Earlier, Ottawa announced it would lower the proportion of temporary residents to 5% of the population, down from 6.8% in April.
Source: AFP
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