OTTAWA – Immigration Minister Lena Diab says the federal government will consult this summer on its immigration levels plan and whether the student visa system is “sustainable.”
In a recent interview with University Affairs, Diab says the annual consultations will reach out to the provinces, university administrators and students themselves.
An Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada spokeswoman says the government expects schools to only accept students they can “reasonably support” by providing housing and other services.
Post-secondary institutions across the country are posting deficit budgets this year, laying off staff and cutting programs as international student enrolment drops.
The government last year announced a cap on study permit applications and a gradual decrease in the number of student visas.
Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel Garner says her party wants to see an “immediate and massive” reduction in student visas due to high youth unemployment and the housing crisis.
In May, Statistics Canada reported the unemployment rate among returning students had hit 20 per cent, a three per cent increase over the previous year.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 27, 2025.
