Canada to cut international student and work permits: Justin Trudeau

Ottawa: Canada is aiming to reduce the study and work permits in one step closer to cut down on the number of temporary residents in the country and crack down on abuse of student visas, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.

The government on Wednesday said the number of study permits will be reduced to 4,37,000 in 2025, according to an NDTV report.

“We’re granting 35% fewer international student permits this year. And next year, that number’s going down by another 10%. Immigration is an advantage for our economy — but when bad actors abuse the system and take advantage of students, we crack down,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau posted on X.

Canada also aims to cut down on work permit eligibility of spouses of some students and temporary foreign workers, the NDTV report said.

Immigration Minister Marc Miller said in a statement, “The reality is that not everyone who wants to come to Canada will be able to—just like not everyone who wants to stay in Canada will be able to.”

The Canadian government is aiming to cut down the number of temporary residents to 5 percent of the overall population. In April, it was 6.8%.

The migrants have been accused of causing several societal problems including scarcity of affordable housing and ramping up cost of living.

A cap on international students was placed in January 2024.

The approvals of the international students are expected to be halved this year.

In September, the government tracked back on its decision to expand the 2022 temporary foreign worker programme.

The new announcement by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau came after his Liberal Party faced a bypoll loss and is projected to be trailing as per opinion polls.