As per latest figures regarding immigration in Canada, 62,410 international students in the country became permanent residents in 2023, an 18 percent increase from 2022 when 52,740 students had been granted permanent residency.
The total number of international students in Canada has crossed the one million mark as per official data. At the end of December 2023, 1,028,850 students were living in Canada on study permits. Over half of them, precisely 526,015, were based in Ontario, the IRCC told The Globe and Mail news outlet.
The number of students pursuing school, college, university, and “other studies” in the country went up by 79 percent from 2019 to 2022. There were 637,855 international students across levels of education in the country which increased to 807,260 in 2022.
Canada is experiencing the worst housing crisis exacerbated by the influx of international students. Indians make up for the bulk of international students in Canada, followed by students from China.
Immigration minister Marc Miller called out private colleges and universities that sent out acceptance letters to students despite not having the provisions to house them.
Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown called out these institutions for using international students as cash cows. He suggested that the federal approval system require international student visa applications to be accompanied by a local address.
“We can’t have international students living in 3rd world conditions while being used as an ATM for the college they are going to. The current system allows international students to be routinely taken advantage of and exacerbates the housing crisis,” the Mayor said.
Calling for a stricter application process, Brown further said, “Requiring a housing address as part of the visa approval process would ensure every college has an appropriate housing plan and spur new student housing construction.”
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