Canada's Stringent New Policies on Study and Work Permits Amid Political Pressures

Canada is reducing the issuance of study permits and tightening work permit eligibility to cut down on temporary residents. This move comes as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government responds to political pressures ahead of the 2025 federal election. Critics argue that reducing migrant numbers won't solve labor exploitation issues.

Canada is further reducing the number of study permits it will grant to foreign students and tightening eligibility for work permits to cut down on the number of temporary residents, the government said on Wednesday. The announcement follows a by-election loss for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal government, which is lagging in public opinion polls. With a federal election due no later than October 2025, the move is seen as an attempt to tackle a hot-button issue in Canadian politics.

The new measures would reduce the number of international study permits issued to 437,000 by 2025, compared to 509,390 in 2023. Work permit eligibility for spouses of some students and temporary foreign workers will also be limited. In response to the increasing number of refugee claimants, the government announced plans to strengthen visa integrity and review visa decision-making processes to better detect fraud.

Canada aims to reduce temporary residents to 5% of the total population, down from 6.8% in April. Critics argue that cutting migrant numbers won't address labor exploitation and advocate for giving migrants permanent resident status. The move comes amid rising anti-migrant sentiment and concerns over affordable housing and cost of living, despite economic indicators showing inflation has slowed. The government already placed a two-year cap on international students earlier this year and walked back expansions to the temporary foreign worker program.

(With inputs from agencies.)