Canada Tightens Immigration Laws; Reduction in Student and Work Visas

On Wednesday, September 19, the Canadian government announced that it will further reduce the number of student visas issued to foreign students and impose stricter measures for work permits. According to the changes announced on Wednesday, the number of international student permits issued in 2025 will decrease to just over 400,000. According to data from the Immigration Department, Canada issued more than 509,000 student visas in 2023, with about 176,000 issued in the first half of the year. These changes also limit work permits for the spouses of some students and temporary foreign workers. At the same time, Canada announced that as visa issuance rules tighten, there is likely to be an increase in asylum applications, and the government intends to bolster trained officers to effectively detect fraud and reduce the number of applicants. Mark Miller, Canada’s Minister of Immigration, stated, "The reality is that not everyone who wants to come to Canada can, just like not everyone who wants to stay in Canada will be able to." The Liberal government of Justin Trudeau had previously committed to reducing the number of temporary residents in Canada from 8.6% to 5% of the total population. On September 28, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada also announced the cessation of work permits for holders of tourist visas from within Canada. The government was supposed to continue the policy of granting work permits to tourists until February 28, 2025, but the Liberal government of Justin Trudeau announced that it would end this policy sooner as part of broader efforts to recalibrate the number of temporary residents in Canada and maintain the integrity of the immigration system. Many Canadians attribute the increase in the unregulated acceptance of immigrants during Trudeau's government to major issues such as housing shortages and rising living costs. According to polls, the Liberal Party led by Justin Trudeau is lagging behind its rival, the Conservative Party led by Pierre Poilievre, in the upcoming elections in the fall of 2024. The housing crisis in Canada; Trudeau's government limited foreign student visas to a maximum of "two years". The U.S. State Department's response to the news of delays in student visas for Iranian students.