(Ottawa) The federal Minister of Immigration announced Thursday that Ottawa would require that foreigners who apply for a permit to study in Canada already have in their pocket double the amount currently required.
Marc Miller also threatened to cap study visas in provinces that don’t help international students find proper housing or close educational institutions that he says should no longer operate.
“There are, in the provinces, the equivalent of puppy mills, which only produce diplomas, and this is not a legitimate student experience,” said Minister Miller at a press conference on Thursday. There is fraud and abuse, and it must stop. »
Mr. Miller says these changes are intended to ensure that international students are not exploited by crooked employers and “unscrupulous” institutions that prevent them from living well in Canada.
“Clearly, our country has become the target of abuse and exploitation by some unsavory actors,” the minister said.
Since 2000, study permit applicants have had to prove that they have a sum of $10,000 to get by in Canada. However, Ottawa maintains that these requirements have not kept pace with the cost of living, “which means that students arriving in Canada learn that they do not have sufficient funds.”
Starting next January, a single applicant will have to prove that they have $20,635, which according to Ottawa represents 75% of the “low-income threshold”, in addition to an amount equivalent to their first year of tuition fees. and his travel expenses, announces the government. This amount will be indexed each year based on a Statistics Canada cost of living benchmark.
We have heard for years that some colleges offer international students inadequate education, which also allows them to obtain a work visa and eventually immigrate to Canada.
The issue has come under scrutiny as a surge in international students has coincided with a domestic housing shortage. Media reported that students were getting by as best they could by working in poorly paid, poverty-stricken jobs.
“It would be a mistake to blame international students for the housing crisis,” Mr. Miller said Thursday. But it would also be a mistake to invite them to come to Canada without any help, including without knowing how to put a roof over their heads.
“That is why we expect educational institutions to only accept a certain number of (foreign) students who they will then be able to help support themselves – able to accommodate them or to help them find off-campus housing. »
The provinces will have to crack down
The minister specifies, however, that more discussions will be needed with the provinces before introducing a cap on study visas. “Enough is enough,” however, warned the minister. If the provinces and territories cannot do it, we will do it for them, and they will not appreciate the brutality of the instruments we use.
“Provinces have a number of tools at their disposal, including regulations on designated educational institutions, which in some cases should simply be closed,” the minister added.
The Liberal government is also ending a policy that extended the period during which foreign graduate students could work in Canada without an actual work visa.
Miller said Thursday that Ottawa is reviewing the number of hours international students should be allowed to work in Canada. He argues that capping work at 20 hours per week would be “on the draconian side of the spectrum,” but that allowing 40 hours would give foreigners a reason to come to Canada without really wanting to focus on their studies.
The advocacy group Migrant Students United urged Ottawa to develop clear rules. “Federal immigration policy is a real roller coaster,” lamented national organizer Sarom Rho in a statement.
“We do not need monthly improvisations and chaotic twists and turns that allow exploitation and abuse to continue. We will continue to advocate for stable, fair rules and permanent residency for all. »
Mme Rho added that the increase in funds required to apply for a student visa, as well as recent changes to permanent residency requirements, will leave students “deprived.”
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said in a statement that it was considering pilot projects to “help underrepresented cohorts of international students” who would not be able to study in Canada due to new requirements for available money at the arrival.