Canada Rethinks Long-Term Visas for International Students

Canadian Immigration Minister Marc Miller has clarified that a study visa is not a path to long-term residency in Canada. He stressed that international students should come to Canada to study and then go back to their home countries after finishing their education. This comes as the Canadian government has decided to limit the number of student visas issued.

The Trudeau government is reviewing its policies on long-term visas for international students as part of broader immigration reforms. These changes aim to address issues caused by Canada’s growing population, such as impacts on housing and job markets. The focus is now on making sure immigration meets the needs of the labor market, especially in sectors with worker shortages.

Canada used to encourage international students to stay and work after their studies, but now the government is changing its approach. The new policy emphasizes that study visas are meant only for education, not for long-term residency or citizenship.

To manage the increasing number of international students and related challenges, Canada has set a cap on student visas, planning to issue 300,000 this year instead of 437,000 last year.

The government is also deciding which students can stay and which should return home. Additionally, it is looking into temporary foreign worker programs and aims to reduce overall immigration from 7% to 5% of the population to prevent misuse and better align with labor market needs.