Canada Announces New Immigration Policy, Cuts Down on Foreign Students

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently announced significant changes to immigration policy in light of Canada’s growing immigration crisis (Flickr)

On September 18, 2024, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced through a tweet that Canada will be cutting down on foreign student admissions, amid what some would call an immigration crisis. Statista estimates that 500,000 people immigrate to Canada each year, and the BBC reports that social services and housing have struggled to accommodate the country’s increasingly large population. Indeed, immigration has driven population growth to its fastest pace in over 60 years, according to Reuters.

According to Immigration Minister Marc Miller, Canada will issue even fewer foreign student-visas in 2025 after already reducing this number in 2024, as reported by BNN Bloomberg. It will also limit work permits for temporary workers and master’s degree students. The intake cap for international students will be reduced by 10 percent for 2025, from 485,000 in 2024 down to 437,000, reports the Toronto Star. Work permits will be limited to spouses of master’s degree students whose programmes are at least 16 months long, and to spouses of foreign workers in management or professional roles or sectors with labor shortages, according to Canadian law firm Blue Iris Immigration Services. 

Miller said, "I've told post-secondary institutions several times that they need to adjust their recruitment practices. I have told them that the cost of acquisition of international students is certain to increase" reports CBC. This move by the administration is likely meant to reduce unemployment, which has become increasingly harmful to Canadian youth, according to BNN Bloomberg.

Speaking alongside Miller, Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault said, “Right now, we know that there are more Canadians qualified to fill open positions. The changes we are making today will prioritize Canadians workers and ensure Canadians can trust the program is meeting the needs of our economy” reports BNN Bloomberg.

On X, Trudeau justified this change in policy by saying that the labor market had changed, and that the country needed businesses to invest in Canadian workers. Significantly, Pierre Poilievre, the leader of the Canadian Conservative Party and the main opposition to Trudeau, had said in the past that he would curb immigration due to pressures on housing prices and the job market, reports the Toronto Sun.

Immigration has long been a tool of Trudeau’s, used to propel economic growth and to compensate for labor gaps. However, it has become increasingly unpopular amongst the Canadian public. According to Reuters, at the end of 2023, support for immigration hit a three-decade low, with 44.5 percent of Canadians telling Ekos Research that there were too many immigrants in Canada. The majority attributed this view to increasingly unaffordable housing in the country. In view of the upcoming election, the Trudeau administration has decided to cut back on immigration. At the same time, it has reiterated its support for immigration, with Trudeau explicitly tweeting, “Immigration is an advantage for our economy.”