OTTAWA — Immigration Minister Marc Miller has revealed that the government will reduce the number of new visas it will deliver to international students for the next two years by 35 per cent.
A total of 360,000 undergraduate study permits will be delivered in 2024 for all of Canada, which will be divided on a pro-rata basis by the provinces. Ontario will see a 50-per-cent decrease in total international student visas for the next two years. International student visas are valid for the time of the program plus 90 days.
This announcement is made in the context of the housing crisis and the federal government’s assessment that some institutions accepted international students without ensuring their well-being in terms of housing and living conditions.
“We’re concerned about the impact of this measure on the foodservice industry in the long term and have made representations to the federal government in the past. We also have upcoming meetings where this issue will be raised,” said Maximilien Roy, VP, Federal & Quebec, Restaurants Canada in a statement. “The well-being of international students can also be improved by permanently removing the 20 hour-per-week off-campus work limit, which would help with the labour shortage issue restaurants and other industries face.”
