Canada to suspend study permits for schools failing to track international students’ enrolment
The federal government plans to halt the processing of study permits for post-secondary institutions unable to account for all international students enrolled in their schools.
The proposal will require schools to track students' attendance and ensure that they are complying with their study permit conditions. This will give Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) the necessary means to confirm that study permits are granted to individuals who intend to attend legitimate designated learning institutions (DLIS) that adhere to both federal and provincial regulations.
“It will be used to enhance the monitoring and tracking of international students even for us at the university,” said Jerry Wang, director, recruitment and first year sdvising office, international student office at UPEI.
“It will also require institutions to be more accountable. I think it's good. At this time, with a larger number of international students, it's important to make sure all students are legitimate.”
Under the existing regulations, the federal government does not have the regulatory authority to compel reporting from schools. And where schools are not reporting, IRCC said it does not have a reliable way of determining whether a student is attending their DLIS and are complying with their study permit requirements.
Wang said UPEI has always provided IRCC with reports on all international students, their academic progress and if they are still or not enrolled with the university.
“We have found that some students, they got admission documents to UPEI, they were admitted to UPEI and then they enter Canada, according to IRCC’S records but they never showed up at UPEI.”
Currently, IRCC cannot impose sanctions on a non-compliant institution, such as the suspension of study permit processing. This means IRCC is still required to issue study permits for students attending the schools even when it is not reporting to IRCC on student enrolment status.
The new proposed changes, which were released under the Canada Gazette, will allow IRCC to impose a 12-month suspension on non-compliant schools and stop processing of study permit for that institution during suspension period. Students will also be required to apply for a new study permit if they decide to go to a different school other than their initial choice in their student visa application.
The proposed regulations would add a new provision instructing not to process a study permit application and return it to the student, along with supporting documents and processing fees, if a school does not provide confirmation of a student’s acceptance to IRCC.
“I acknowledge the initiative and measures being taken by the federal government to uphold the integrity of the program. Only genuine educational institutions should be accessing international students,” said Daniel Ohaegbu, founder of Atlantic Student Development Alliance, an organization that connects international students and graduates in Atlantic Canada to employers.
Ohaegbu said confidence has been lost in the international student program especially with fraudulent visa agents and immigration consultants issuing fake acceptance letters to students and misusing the system. He cited a study which states that international students spent roughly $37.3 billion on tuition, accommodation and other necessities in 2022 and created more than 200,000 jobs. He said it's becoming a booming industry and there needs to be regulations in place to uphold its integrity and prevent abuse.
“I think a policy like this, that is geared towards creating more transparency and accountability, is commendable. However, at the end of the day, we need to ensure that these new regulations do not create additional burdens and additional challenges to international students.”
Ohaegbu said he sees this new policy creating administrative burdens for most schools because they will require additional resources, and he wants the government to work with institutions to provide any support needed from schools to comply with the requirements.
The proposal was open to the public to read and provide feedback before July 29.