Marc Miller the Minister of IRCC’s Speaking Notes: Strengthening Canada’s Temporary Resident Programs and Migration Pathways

I will provide an update once the 24 hours regulation come into effect, so students can plan accordingly. Until then, working more than 20 hours per week is a violation of the conditions of a study permit—and those who infringe the conditions may face enforcement actions.

Last year, Canada had over 900,000 international students—with some of these students facing difficulties in their journey.

In addition to the previously announced cap on international students, including temporary residents in the annual levels planning will help prevent similar challenges in the future.

To support international students and set them up for success, we have

• increased the cost of living requirement so students are better prepared for the reality of life in Canada, and
• implemented a systematic verification of letters of acceptance from designated learning institutions to protect students from fraud

Regarding the student cap, early signs indicate that the cap announced in January is effectively reigning in international student volumes. From January to August 2024, we had more than 200,000 fewer international students coming to Canada—a 38% decrease compared to 2023.

Recent reports also show that rent is stagnating in certain university towns. We’re cautiously optimistic: our policies are working.

We’re also working on the Recognized Institution Framework to set higher standards for adequate housing options, among other services and supports for future students.

At the same time, we remain committed to our long-standing humanitarian tradition of helping the world’s most vulnerable people while reinforcing the integrity of our humanitarian programs.

We are actively working on changes to improve our in-Canada asylum system. Investments from Budget 2024 will improve processing while maintaining the fairness and integrity of this system with significant new funding to support the housing needs of asylum claimants.

Earlier this year, we implemented a partial visa requirement for travellers from Mexico. We did this because there was a growing number of asylum claims by Mexican nationals, the majority of which were rejected, withdrawn or abandoned by the applicant. And this action is working. Between July 2023 and July 2024, there’s been nearly an 80% reduction in asylum claims by Mexican nationals.

The number of asylum claimants staying in hotels funded directly by the federal government has decreased to around 5,000, down from over 7,600 in January of this year, as IRCC and its partners have been working continuously with claimants as they transition to independent living.

Canada—like the rest of the world—faces unprecedented flows of migrants and refugees globally. That’s why we established a coordination table with provinces to work together to distribute asylum claimants fairly across the country—together.

And that is why it is disappointing that provinces have walked away, effectively ending the Asylum Working Group. For clarity, the federal government was—and is—at the table with resources to work on sharing this challenge as a country.

No asylum claimant is relocated without their consent—and provinces aren’t forced to take them on. We are working with provinces to demonstrate that there are longer-term economic and social benefits that may be available in welcoming asylum claimants, and the federal government is willing to work with provinces to support a sustainable and voluntary relocation model. What we need is partners who are willing, committed to and engaged on finding a way forward that is equitable and fair.

Next steps

This brings us to where we are today and the need for more changes to strengthen our temporary resident programs.

As we plan ahead for the 2025 and 2026 immigration levels, we are taking a hard, comprehensive look at our immigration programs, including where tough choices will have to be made.

As we continue to review and strengthen temporary resident programs, we are looking for more ways to reduce fraud and strengthen compliance rules for employers.

Announcements

In advance of our annual levels plan, I am announcing some new measures today to strengthen our temporary resident programs, to further align our immigration system to the realities facing our country, and to ensure the sustainability of our immigration system.

First, we will reduce the target on study permits issued by 10% in 2025 and 2026 compared to 2024. This means we aim to issue up to 437,000 study permits in both 2025 and 2026, which would represent about a 36% decrease from 2023.

Second, we will exempt fewer students from the cap.

This means, starting in 2025, master’s and doctoral students, among others, will be counted as part of the cap. As we have now included temporary residents into our levels planning, going forward, we will have an annual target for international students. Simply put: the international student cap is here to stay.

Some international students are better set up to integrate and succeed in Canada. In particular, graduate degree students are well aligned with Canada’s labour market needs. That’s why we will be reserving about 12% of the cap for these students and aligning the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program with our economic priorities.