Canada tightens visa rules for students, temporary workers

By Mata Press Service

The Canadian government has announced more new restrictions on visas for international students and workers as part of its efforts to control the country's burgeoning immigration rates, which have recently pushed the population beyond 41 million.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has outlined a series of targeted adjustments designed to slow the pace of incoming temporary residents while ensuring the country's economic and educational sectors continue to thrive.

The adjustments come at a time when major cities like Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver are experiencing housing shortages and increased pressure on public services.

“We are reforming the International Student Program, tightening eligibility requirements for temporary foreign workers, enforcing employer compliance more strictly, and making labour market impact assessments more rigorous to mitigate fraud, and more.” IRCC said in a statement.

The additional measures include;

• a further reduction in the intake cap on international student study permits for 2025 based on a 10% reduction from the 2024 target of 485,000 new study permits issued, and then stabilizing the intake cap for 2026 such that the number of study permits issued remains the same as 2025. For 2025, this means reducing study permits issued to 437,000

• updating the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program this fall to better align with immigration goals and labour market needs

• limiting work permit eligibility, later this year, to spouses of master’s degree students to only those whose program is at least 16 months in duration, and

• limiting work permit eligibility later this year to spouses of foreign workers in management or professional occupations or in sectors with labour shortages—under Canada’s work permit programs

“The reality is that not everyone who wants to come to Canada will be able to—just like not everyone who wants to stay in Canada will be able to,” said Immigration Minister Marc Miller.

“We are taking action to strengthen our temporary residence programs and roll out a more comprehensive immigration plan to meet the demands of today’s changing landscape. And as we look forward, we will do everything it takes to achieve that goal and set newcomers up for success.”

Experts are divided on the impact of these changes.

Some argue that reducing the influx of international talent could hinder Canada’s competitiveness on the global stage, especially in high-tech industries where skilled workers are in high demand.

Others applaud the decision, suggesting that a moderated approach to immigration will allow better integration of newcomers into the Canadian economy and society.

IRCC said that like many countries, Canada is experiencing more asylum claims as the number of displaced people worldwide continues to grow, and that contributes to growing temporary resident volumes.

To align with our humanitarian responsibilities, the government has been working on several measures to address integrity issues and strengthen the in-Canada asylum system, including:

• implementing partial visa requirements for Mexican nationals
• improving claims processing while maintaining the fairness and integrity of the asylum system, as announced in 2024
• reviewing visa decision-making so that our highly trained officers have the right tools to detect fraud and reduce the number of non-genuine visitors
• exploring more measures to further strengthen visa integrity

The policy changes come on the heels of two surveys that show that a majority of Canadians say the country should accept fewer immigrants.

According to a Nanos survey for CTV News, two out of three, or 64 percent, of Canadians surveyed said the country should accept fewer immigrants in 2025 compared to 2024. Meanwhile, about one in four, or 26 percent, of Canadians said we should let in about the same number of immigrants, while only five percent said we should accept more.

The survey also found an overwhelming number of Canadians, 72 percent, want the number of immigrants coming into Canada reduced until housing becomes affordable.

When it comes to refugees – people who leave their countries to escape either war, persecution or natural disasters -- the Nanos survey found that more than two in five, or 46 percent, of Canadians, wanted fewer to be let into the country. Just over one in three, or 35 percent, said Canada should accept the same number, while 15 percent said we should accept more.

Another survey, by the Angus Reid Institute found Canadians support a reduced Temporary Foreign Workers (TFW) program as they express concerns over its effect on the housing and job markets.

A plurality (43%) says the program is fine to continue after the changes implemented by the federal government take effect later this month. A further one in seven (14%) believe the changes were not necessary and the program was okay as it was. A minority of one in five (22%) believe the program should be abolished entirely.

Forthcoming changes to the program, include reducing the maximum proportion of a business’s workforce eligible to be made up of TFWs from 20 to 10 percent, and not allowing businesses to apply for workers if the local unemployment rate is above six percent, which are overwhelmingly popular.

Restaurants Canada said the changes in the TFW will result in severe consequences for the hospitality industry.

The agency says there are currently 73,000 openings in the industry, with positions in rural, remote, and tourist regions the hardest to fill.

The organization notes that while only 3% of food service employees are hired through the TFW program, it is essential for restaurant operators who struggle to find Canadian workers for specific roles.

Meanwhile, Universities Canada said that fewer students are coming from abroad to study at Canadian universities this fall and warned that the numbers have dropped below the cap the federal government set on international student visas this year.

Universities Canada president and CEO Gabriel Miller expressed concerns over the impact of the cap on the number of international students studying in Canada in the future, describing them as an “asset” to institutions.

He added that the limit on international student enrollment would hurt Canada’s ability to compete for the talent it wants to attract and keep.