Canada tightens regulations related to international students

Canada closely monitors the issuance of admission permits and recommends schools improve service standards to protect international students from fraud or housing difficulties.

Mr. Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced this plan on October 27.

First, as of December 1, educational institutions authorized to accept international students in Canada (DLI) will have to directly confirm every applicant's admission letter with IRCC. This is to ensure that the admission permit is issued correctly. Previously, submitting admission letters to apply for a permit from IRCC was done by intermediary companies.

IRCC is also establishing a system to recognize schools with higher standards of service and support for international students from the fall 2024 semester. According to Mr. Miller, the standards may include the ability to support international students. Full access to housing, mental health services... If successful, schools will receive many benefits, such as processing admission permits for international students with more priority.

Finally, IRCC will make some adjustments to the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program (PGWP) to suit the needs of the labor market, as well as immigration goals.

A classroom favored by many students at the University of British Columbia, Canada. Photo: University of British Columbia Fanpage

The above measures were introduced in the context of the number of international students coming to Canada skyrocketing but many of their rights are not guaranteed.

The number of international students coming to Canada has quadrupled in the past 15 years, to a record of more than 550,000 last year. International education brings more than 22 billion CAD (16 billion USD) annually to the country's economy, including tuition, rent and spending on services, more than exports of auto parts, wood or machinery. fly.

Currently, graduates in Canada can apply for a PGWP work permit, the stay period ranges from 8-36 months, depending on the length of the study program. Undergraduate international students with off-campus work permits are allowed to work unlimited hours until the end of December this year.

Minister Miller assessed that the relatively easy issuance of work permits is an attraction for international students to come to Canada, but is also "full" of fraud.

In June, when reviewing more than 100 cases of using fake admission letters, the agency discovered that about 40% of these letters were used to bring people into Canada illegally, the rest were scammed victims. Many international students came to Canada to study in 2018-2019, but when they finished studying and applied for permanent residence, they discovered their admission letters were fake and were at risk of deportation.

In addition, in a report on September 20, four Canadian senate members said there is a situation where study abroad consulting centers direct international students to programs that are not eligible for a PGWP. This causes international students to waste a significant amount of time and money.

According to a June report from Statistics Canada, 40% of students with study permits do not have suitable accommodation. International students also encounter many other problems, such as discrimination by boarding house owners, verbal violence, high deposit prices, overcrowding of tenants... Meanwhile, many schools enroll more than enough students. someone I can serve well.

According to IRCC, Vietnam currently ranks 8th in the number of international students in Canada. If counted in Asia alone, the number of Vietnamese students is the 5th largest, after India, China, the Philippines and Korea. If calculating the number of post-graduation work permits in 2022, Applyboard statistics show that Vietnamese international students ranked 6th with 2,714 approved permits.

The cost of pursuing a bachelor's degree in Canada currently averages about 36,000 USD a year, including tuition, rent and living expenses.