Ottawa: Apna Punjab Media: Canada has seen a significant increase in international study visas. Although the Canadian government has said it aims to curb the number of temporary residents entering the country, the number of international students receiving study permits has increased in the first four months of this year. The affordability crisis has negatively impacted the popularity of the Justin Trudeau government. Therefore measures were announced to reduce the entry of temporary residents such as international students.
However, according to data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the numbers actually increased between January and April this year compared to the same period in 2023. The total study permits issued during these four months last year were 1,65,805 and will increase to 1,87,510 in 2024. The number of Indian students receiving these visas also increased from 72,750 to 81,260 during the same period, remaining stable at about 43% of the total. Of the total 68,24,305 study permits issued by Canada in 2023, 2,78,335 were for Indian students. So far in 2024, Canada has issued 2,16,620 study permits, of which 91,510 have been obtained by Indians. In January (IRCC) announced that it would place an intake cap on the number of approved applications for study permits for international students, which is expected to result in a 35% reduction in these numbers this year compared to 2023. () IRCC “This cap is expected to result in approximately 360,000 approved study permits for 2024, a 35% decrease from 2023,” IRCC said in a release at the time.