Justin Trudeau Resigns As Canada PM; His Decision On International Students Impacted Indians

Canada PM Justin Trudeau has resigned from his position due to increasing discontent over his leadership. In recent times, his government took several decisions related to international students which also affected the Indian students aspiring to study in Canada or already pursuing their higher education in Canada.

Recently, Canada made many decisions to curb international students' immigration which impacted Indian students also. For Indian students, Canada is one of the most popular study-abroad destinations, but the recent changes in policies created worry among the Indian aspirants.

Canada's Decision In Last One Year To Curb Internation Students Immigration

Canada's decisions related to international students in the past year were the following -

The number of international study permits decreased: In January 2024, the Canadian government announced an international student cap and said that the cap is likely to result in around 360,000 approved study permits, a drop of 35% from the previous year. Those who were pursuing elementary, secondary education or master's and doctoral were not included in this cap.

In September, Justin Trudeau said on X that while the drop in study permits was by 35% in 2024, the next year 2025 will see a further drop of 10%.

Work Hours Of International Students Changed: Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship announced changes in the international student program regulations in November 2024. The minister announced that eligible international students can work up to 24 hours per week off when their classes are in session.

Need Study Permit To Change Institute: The minister also announced that changing the institute will now require getting a new study permit. The government said that it is to maintain and strengthen the integrity of student international programs.

Canada announced new PGWP eligibility criteria: Post-Graduation Work Permit Program (PGWP) eligibility criteria changes were applied from November 1, 2024. According to the new criteria, international students were required to have a minimum of NCLC 7 in French or CLB 7 in English in all 4 language areas.

In November this year, the country announced the closing of the Student Direct Stream (SDS) which was the fast-track study visa program.

The government also announced a slash of 21% in the permanent residency targets, in 2026, it was announced to reduce from 500,000 to 395,000 and in 2027, a further reduction to 365,000.

Impact Of Canada's Changing Policies On Indian Students

When PGWP changes were announced, many international students, mostly Indians, protested in Canada. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced these changes and also they listed 966 eligible programs for international students. The constant efforts of the Canadian government to curb the migration resulted in Indian students looking for other study abroad destinations which are more welcoming for Indian students.

In December 2024, Indians in Canada were also asked to re-submit their essential documents which created fear of stricter immigration policies in the coming time.

Read more:

• Canada announces new PGWP eligibility criteria; Details Here
• Canada Ends Fast-Track Study Visa Program For International Students
• Canada to further cut study permits for international students by 10% in 2025