Experts question the need to cap the number of international students pursuing master’s and doctoral degrees, as the federal government now plans, and suggest the move could cause a brain drain.
Masters, PhD and postdoctoral students were previously exempt from the cap on foreign student visas that Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced in January.
But those students are now included in a new cut in study permits announced this week by Ottawa.
Mr. Miller’s office says these students are now included so that educational institutions do not try to avoid the cap by creating “fake programs” for higher education.
Thus, 12% of the visas issued by Ottawa will be reserved for master’s or doctoral students, based on the proportion they occupy within the student population.
Current levels of graduate students would already be below the new cap and they would not be part of the growing population of temporary residents that Ottawa is trying to manage, suggest internal estimates from U15 Canada, an association of 15 of Canada’s leading research universities.
Association CEO Chad Gaffield says if Canada’s brightest students feel like they’re no longer welcoming, there could be major collateral damage to Canadian universities — and to research and innovation in general.
Immigration lawyer Barbara Jo Caruso agrees the government needs to be seen as proactive, but she says the caps create a lot of uncertainty and could impact Canada’s brand.
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