Canada stated Wednesday that it would reduce international student permits next year and tighten foreign worker restrictions to significantly reduce the number of temporary residents in the country.
The action follows many recent rounds of limitations aimed at reducing record immigration numbers, which pushed Canada’s population over 41 million earlier this year.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government has stated that increased immigration is stressing the country’s housing sector, labor market, and social services.
“It is a privilege to visit Canada. “It is not a right,” said Immigration Minister Marc Miller during a press conference.
In 2025, Ottawa expects to grant 437,000 study permits to international students, down from 485,000 last year and more than 500,000 in 2023.
It is also imposing additional restrictions on work licenses for spouses of certain international students and foreign workers. In addition, it would increase checks before issuing travel permits in order to reduce the number of fraudulent or denied asylum claims.
Ottawa has previously stated that it will lower the number of temporary residents to 5% of the population, down from 6.8% in April.