As Ottawa moves to include graduate students in its cap on international study permits, experts and advocates alike are raising questions about the need for the move, and suggesting it could prompt top talent to look elsewhere.
Students joining masterB次元官网网址檚, doctoral and postdoctoral programs were previously exempt from the overall cap on international students that Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced in January.
But they are now included in a further reduction of student visas he announced this week, alongside other measures that seek to add stability to a ballooning population of temporary residents.
Ian Wereley, executive director of the Canadian Association for Graduate Studies, said the news landed without warning or consultation.
B次元官网网址淎ll those I spoke to felt surprised or even blindsided by the announcement,B次元官网网址� he said in an email, describing the sector as B次元官网网址渁lready in a state of crisis.B次元官网网址�
ItB次元官网网址檚 a move that inflicts B次元官网网址渟ignificant damageB次元官网网址� on CanadaB次元官网网址檚 reputation as an international education destination, he said.
Miller acknowledged in his announcement, speaking in French, that the kinds of students coming to Canada to pursue masterB次元官网网址檚 degrees and PhDs are B次元官网网址渂etter preparedB次元官网网址� to succeed in Canada, and that they respond well to the needs of the Canadian job market.
ThatB次元官网网址檚 why 12 per cent of international student visas will be reserved for graduate students, he said. His office later clarified thatB次元官网网址檚 in line with their historical share of the student population.
Numbers shared by U15 Canada, an association of 15 public research universities, suggest current levels of graduate students are already below the new cap B次元官网网址� and that this group has not been significantly contributing to the bloated numbers of temporary residents Ottawa is trying to address.
The associationB次元官网网址檚 internal calculations found that there would still have been room for thousands more students last year and an even bigger number this year if the cap had been in place. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada did not immediately respond to a request for the latest figures.
Chad Gaffield, CEO of the U15 group, said graduate programs competing for the worldB次元官网网址檚 best and brightest were not really the problem when it came to mismanagement in the world of foreign student immigration.
B次元官网网址淚 heard no justification,B次元官网网址� he said, for why graduate students should be part of the cap, which research has already shown is causing fewer students to apply to study in Canada.
Asked for a rationale, MillerB次元官网网址檚 office said the idea is to prevent bad actors from finding ways to get around the rules.
B次元官网网址淲hat we didnB次元官网网址檛 want is institutions creating fake graduate programs just to find a loophole,B次元官网网址� said spokeswoman Aissa Diop.
For Gaffield, thereB次元官网网址檚 a risk that research universities B次元官网网址� and by extension, sectors that need professionals with highly specialized education B次元官网网址� will end up as B次元官网网址渃ollateral damageB次元官网网址� in the governmentB次元官网网址檚 effort to reduce numbers and target fraud.
The worldB次元官网网址檚 most talented scholars are usually juggling multiple offers, often from multiple countries, he said, making it a B次元官网网址渧ery, very competitive environment.B次元官网网址�
While Canada has built up a reputation over decades for welcoming them with open arms, he suggested thatB次元官网网址檚 changing: B次元官网网址淭he headline is going to be, and has been, that Canada is not as welcoming as we have been traditionally.B次元官网网址�
Steve Orsini, president and CEO of the Council of Ontario Universities, said the cap creates B次元官网网址渇urther complexity to the application processB次元官网网址� and could dissuade highly skilled students from choosing Canada.
B次元官网网址淭his could impact advanced degrees in fields such as engineering, health care, life sciences, AI and more.B次元官网网址�
Some of those specialized programs already rely heavily on international student admissions, said Fahim Quadir, graduate studies dean at QueenB次元官网网址檚 University.
Even if the total number of current graduate students doesnB次元官网网址檛 seem to exceed the cap, the distribution of permits could mean that such programs suffer significantly, he said in an email.
B次元官网网址淪TEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) programs, in particular, could face an existential crisis,B次元官网网址� he wrote.
B次元官网网址淢any programs, I tend to think, would struggle to survive, and some could face a completely uncertain future.B次元官网网址�
Andr茅 C么t茅, director of policy and research at The Dais, a think tank within Toronto Metropolitan University, said the broader policy goal of moving towards sustainable numbers is appropriate.
But even if this weekB次元官网网址檚 announcement discourages just a few high achievers, he said, thatB次元官网网址檚 enough to have a negative effect.
In addition to the cap, Ottawa is tightening restrictions on spousal work permits for some students. Starting later this year, spouses of masterB次元官网网址檚 degree students will only be eligible to work in Canada if their partnerB次元官网网址檚 program is at least 16 months in duration.
Immigration lawyer Barbara Jo Caruso agreed that spousal restrictions can be major deterrents for graduate students, especially since there is already a huge price tag on their programs.
Caruso, who is the founding partner of Corporate Immigration Law Firm in Toronto, said she isnB次元官网网址檛 surprised to see the government trying to move towards more stability in the overall system.
But she was skeptical that the graduate student population is even a B次元官网网址渄rop in the bucketB次元官网网址� of the problem Ottawa is trying to tackle.
B次元官网网址淚t seems to me that theyB次元官网网址檙e doing things to look like theyB次元官网网址檙e doing things,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚 canB次元官网网址檛 really imagine that, now, including the graduates in this cap is really going to make that big of a difference.B次元官网网址�
