GLITZ TVCanadian government has recently introduced new restrictions on work and study permits for international students who wish to pursue postgraduate studies, as they aim to reduce the number of annual student intake. Marc Mille, the Canadian Immigration Minister, announced on Monday that they plan to decrease the number of international students in the country by 35% over the next two years.
The minister emphasized that the allocation of international students will be based on the population of each province, ensuring that international students can continue their studies in the country. Additionally, the government will no longer issue work permits to international students who graduate from Public College-Private Partnerships programs.
“To maintain a sustainable level of temporary residence in Canada and to prevent further growth in the number of international students in 2024, we are implementing a national application intake cap for a period of two years starting in 2024. The cap is expected to result in approximately 364,000 approved study permits, a decrease of 35% from 2023,” the minister stated.
The minister further clarified that open work permits will only be available to spouses of students enrolled in master’s and doctoral programs, as well as professional programs such as medicine and law. Spouses of international students pursuing undergraduate and college programs will not be eligible for open work permits.
“In the coming weeks, we will announce that open work permits will be available for spouses of international students enrolled in master’s and doctoral programs, as well as professional programs such as medicine and law. However, spouses of international students in undergraduate and college programs will not be eligible,” the immigration minister explained.
These new measures are aimed at managing the number of international students in Canada and ensuring a sustainable balance in the country’s temporary residence program.
This is a welcome development