Canada is restricting the entry of foreign students as record numbers of immigrants arrive and the housing crisis worsens. Even the students who are currently staying in the country after completing their graduation, are not being given work permits.
According to the sources of the Canadian Immigration Ministry, the country’s government has decided to allow a maximum of 360,000 students to enter in the current year 2024. This number is 35 percent lower than last year’s number of foreign students allowed in 2023 as a percentage.
However, this restriction is not permanent. Immigration Minister Mark Miller said that this system will continue for the next 2 years. He also said that the central government sitting in Ottawa will work with various provincial governments to implement this new decision.
Incidentally, Canada is one of the most attractive countries for studying and living in the world for capable students from developing and least developed countries. Millions of students from different countries of the world including India visit Canada every year.
It is also very beneficial for the Canadian economy. An average of 1,640 million dollars is added to the country’s economy from various sectors related to the arrival of foreign students every year.
As a result, Canada always welcomes foreign students. Along with that, the country also shows generosity to those students who want to settle in Canada after their studies.
However, due to the influx of foreign students over the last few years, the housing crisis has already started in the country due to this policy of the government. This crisis is intensifying day by day.
Along with this decision of the government, some educational institutions of Canada are taking advantage of the sign board. They are admitting foreign students even though there is no standard set by the government.
In a press conference on Monday, Mark Miller said, “Recently, several signboard-only educational institutions have been established in Canada.” The government has no contact with these institutes and the institutes do not adhere to any of the government’s policies or standards regarding education, campus, student facilities and they charge extra fees from the students. This cycle of cheating needs to stop.’
“Furthermore, additional migrants are putting pressure on housing, healthcare and other services. We think there will be a change in the existing situation within two years.
Matthews Salmasi, director of CASA, an advocacy organization for foreign students in Canada, criticized the government’s decision, saying, “The government should have strengthened the education administration and taken necessary steps to solve the housing problem, rather than limiting the access of foreign students.”
However, the country’s top educational institutions, including the University of Toronto, have welcomed the government’s decision.
