Canada again slashes foreign student intake to stop ‘bad actors’

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced that the country will reduce its intake of international students by 10 percent starting in 2025.

The decision, according to Trudeau, is aimed at protecting the country from exploitation by bad actors taking advantage of the immigration system.

"Immigration is an advantage for our economy — but when bad actors abuse the system and take advantage of students, we crack down," Trudeau said, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a balance between immigration and national security.

Canada has traditionally relied on economic immigrants to bolster its revenue and support social services such as education and healthcare, especially given the country’s low birth rate. However, the recent policy changes reflect a shift in the country’s liberal immigration stance.

Earlier this year, the Canadian government introduced a two-year cap on study permits to manage the influx of international students. Immigration Minister Marc Miller recently announced plans to approve 364,000 undergraduate study permits in 2024, a 35 percent decrease from the previous year. The total number will be distributed across provinces and territories based on their population.

In addition to curbing student visas, Canada has recalibrated its labour market policies, including reducing the number of temporary foreign workers. The shift comes after expansions in the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) programme in 2022, which were initially aimed at filling one million vacant positions across the country.

These changes reflect Canada’s ongoing efforts to maintain a sustainable immigration system while ensuring that its labour market and social services remain strong.