‘It's very unfair’: International students face uncertain future in Canada after rule change

Immigrant groups are pressing the federal government to lift the cap on international study permit quotas and toughen post-graduation work permit requirements, saying it would leave many students "in limbo."

They claim the restriction unfairly targets a specific group of Canada's immigrant population, while providing an easier path to permanent residency for other immigrants, including working professionals.

Tasneema Ahmed has been studying at the University of Ontario College of Art and Design in Toronto with an international study permit for two years. However, with the introduction of stricter rules for obtaining work permits after graduation, he fears that he will be sent back to Bangladesh after graduation.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister Mark Miller announced earlier this month that Canada will reduce the number of international study permits issued by 10 percent by 2025, after promising a 35 percent reduction this year, and tougher rules for students who want to study abroad. Canada will implement a work permit to stay after graduation.

Miller says the new rules are in response to Canada's housing shortage and unaffordability, but immigrant advocates say it leaves the future of many international students uncertain.

"The rules have changed in the middle of the game," Sarum Rohm, an organizer with the Immigrant Alliance for Change, told CTV News. Time works against these students and puts them in a big crisis."

Rohm and other immigrant advocacy groups want the federal government to allow current students to apply for post-graduation work permits under the old law.

"We are asking the federal government to at least cover all students who are currently in the country and have applied and committed to study in Canada under the existing laws."

Student groups feel 'targeted'

Part of the ongoing problem for international students is that they believe their demographic group is being unfairly targeted, while there are large numbers of permanent residence applications available for other immigrant groups.

Canada has issued tens of thousands of "Invitations to Apply" (ITAs) for permanent residency, including nearly 6,000 in September.

These ITAs can be a gateway to permanent residency for students, but they can also be issued to working professionals already in Canada and elsewhere in the world.

But with permits limited to international students only, they believe the path to permanent residency is not a level playing field.

Lamia added: "I really hope that we will be prioritized. "We really hope that there are more resources and support structures, rather than more policies that take away those supports and create more barriers."

Immigrant advocates are pushing for fair treatment of all immigrant groups, not just policies that target students.

Chris Ramsarhom of Justice for Immigrant Workers said, "We're giving some people in our community benefits with Express Entry, who are higher-level, more skilled workers, and other parts of our immigration system are saying they're no longer welcome. So, very much, it's a divisive law."

"The subtlety of divisive legislation is that many other communities of color are under attack."

In response, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) says "most of these ITAs are intended for students exiting (post-graduation work permits) and seeking a pathway to permanent residence." However, they did not specify how many of these would be extended to students and how many invitations would be extended to temporary foreign workers and other professionals.

"It would be unfair to blame students for the housing crisis, but it would also be unfair to accept unlimited numbers of international students without adequate supports – whether housing, healthcare or an appropriate learning environment," IRCC said in a statement.

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