“This lack of action is a source of ‘serious concern’.” These words echo the urgent issues facing Canada’s Immigration Department as it struggles to keep pace with the demand for investigations into student visa holders in the International Student Program.
In 2023 and 2024, approximately 150,000 cases were flagged for potential non-compliance with study permits. However, the federal government only launched about 4,000 investigations into these flagged cases, raising alarms about the effectiveness of oversight.
Of the investigations initiated, 1,600 were marked as inconclusive, primarily because the students did not respond to the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). This lack of engagement has left the department grappling with a significant backlog.
Despite having a budget to conduct about 2,000 investigations annually until 2028, the department’s capacity is being stretched thin. Alarmingly, 92% of the problematic visa holders have sought other immigration status to remain in Canada, indicating a troubling trend.
Furthermore, a recent report revealed that only 16,000 of the expired 2024 student visa holders actually left Canada, suggesting that many are staying beyond their permitted time.
Immigration Minister Lena Diab acknowledged the department’s shortcomings, stating, “The department accepts all of the auditor’s recommendations.” She emphasized that the report captures only the first 18 months of a broader multi-year reform effort that runs through 2027.
Notably, the annual Immigration Levels Plan aims to reduce temporary immigrants to less than 5% of the total population by the end of 2027. However, new student visa approvals have been far below predicted levels for both 2024 and 2025.
The study permit approval rate has seen a decline, with only 58% of applications approved in 2023, down from 54% in 2022. All provinces have reported larger-than-anticipated declines in study permit approvals for 2024.
As the situation unfolds, the Immigration Department remains uncertain about the reasons behind the dropping approval rates. Details remain unconfirmed.