Canada's Policies for International Students: Are They Working?

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dc.contributor.advisorMcQuillan, Kevin
dc.contributor.authorTahir, Laiba
dc.date.accessioned2025-02-03T18:03:42Z
dc.date.available2025-02-03T18:03:42Z
dc.date.issued2024-08-21
dc.description.abstractCanada’s International Student Program has been integral to Canada’s education and immigration policies, ultimately helping to foster multiculturalism and inclusion within its society. However, this has led to challenges, and concerns have come to light, specifically regarding whether the program is meeting the needs of its students and strengthening Canada’s economy. Historically, the International Student Program has expanded significantly, driven mainly by economic motivations and a shift towards viewing international students as ideal immigrants. Policies have introduced pathways to permanent residency, often incentivizing institutions to recruit international students. However, this rapid growth has brought challenges, including student vulnerability, housing pressures, and program integrity issues. By 2024, new caps have been introduced on study permit applications to stabilize growth and address challenges. The goal is to reduce student numbers and alleviate some of the problems created by the rapid increase in recent years. This capstone employs a combined approach of data analysis and literature review, a method that allows for a comprehensive analysis of both existing research and empirical data. By using this method, this capstone offers a comprehensive examination of existing research and helps identify patterns and trends in data, which enhances the insights drawn from the literature review and identifies gaps in existing research. It provides a basis for further research and data-informed policy recommendations. This capstone finds that Canada has experienced a significant rise in the number of international students. This increase is attributed to its high-quality education system, immigration policies, post-graduation opportunities, reduced processing times for study permits, and the lifting of restrictions on off-campus work hours. However, this growth has impacted Canada’s International Student Program, as new caps have been introduced to manage the increasing number of international students, a population that has placed pressure on the health and housing sectors. Although this decision signifies a strategic pivot towards a more balanced and sustainable program, international applicants now face stiffer competition to find a place at a Canadian college or university and will now see fewer opportunities to study in Canada. Canada will ultimately see a decline in the number of students, as some will seek alternative countries. Furthermore, officials have stated that Canada does not have enough permanent residency spots to satisfy demand among international students. To ensure that the procedure for permanent residency stays competitive, many are urging the federal government to raise the requirements for study permits, a change that will have a negative impact on the future of international students. With the 2024 study permit cap in place, private institutions will be seeing the most significant drop in numbers, a strategic goal on IRCC’s end, as the increase in private college enrollments has been a concern for Canada. However, this capstone finds that despite the government’s reasoning for this cap, international students have been concerned about impacts that may foster xenophobia and harm Canada’s reputation as a welcoming place for immigrants.
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1880/120602
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherUniversity of Calgary
dc.publisher.departmentSchool of Public Policy
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Graduate Studies
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Calgary
dc.rightsUniversity of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.
dc.titleCanada's Policies for International Students: Are They Working?
dc.typeReport
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Calgary
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