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The newspaper La Jornada
Thursday, September 19, 2024, p. 24

Ottawa. Canada announced yesterday that it will cut international student permits next year and tighten rules for foreign workers in an effort to reduce the number of temporary residents.

The warning comes after another round of restrictions aimed at controlling record levels of migration, which have pushed Canada’s population past 41 million at the start of the year.

The rising cost of living, the high cost of housing and the high unemployment rate among new migrants have sparked protests in broad social sectors of the country in recent months demanding changes to the policies for receiving foreigners. In response, the government has changed the regulations for accepting requests for asylum, work or student status.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government has blamed high migration for straining housing, the labour market and social services. It is a privilege to come to Canada. It is not a right.said Migration Minister Marc Miller at a press conference.

In 2025, Ottawa plans to issue 437,000 student permits to international students, down from 485,000 this year and 500,000 in 2023.

It will also impose new limits on work permits for spouses of some international students and foreign workers. It will also tighten checks before issuing travel visas to stem the rise in fraudulent or rejected asylum applications.

Canadian authorities have said they will reduce the number of temporary residents to 5 percent of their population, down from 6.8 percent in April.