“The department accepts all of the auditor’s recommendations,” stated Immigration Minister Lena Diab, addressing the pressing issues surrounding the International Student Program.
Recent audits have uncovered that the Immigration Department is struggling to keep pace with the demand for investigations into student visa holders. In 2023 and 2024, approximately 150,000 cases were flagged for potential non-compliance with study permits, yet only about 4,000 investigations were initiated by the federal government.
This discrepancy raises serious concerns, as 1,600 investigations were marked as inconclusive due to students failing to respond to the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). The department has a budget to conduct about 2,000 investigations annually until 2028, but it appears this is insufficient to address the growing number of flagged cases.
Minister Diab acknowledged the challenges, noting that 92% of problematic visa holders have applied for other immigration statuses to remain in Canada. Alarmingly, the report revealed that only about 16,000 of the expired 2024 student visa holders actually left the country.
The audit highlighted that the study permit approval rates have been declining, with only 58% in 2023 and 54% in 2022. All provinces experienced larger-than-anticipated declines in study permit approvals for 2024, raising questions about the future of international students in Canada.
Minister Diab emphasized that the report captures only the first 18 months of a broader multi-year reform effort that runs through 2027. “This lack of action is a source of ‘serious concern’,” she remarked, underscoring the urgency of the situation.
As the Immigration Levels Plan aims to reduce temporary immigrants to less than 5% of the total population by the end of 2027, the future of the International Student Program remains uncertain. The Immigration Department has expressed that it is unclear why approval rates are dropping, leaving many to wonder about the implications for prospective students.
Details remain unconfirmed regarding the full impact of these findings, but the community is watching closely as the government navigates these challenges in the immigration landscape.
