International student visa surge: Canadian visa approval speed sets record

Despite the commitment of the federal Liberal government to limit the number of study visas issued to international students, government data shows that Canada is approving study visas faster than last year, and the number of visas issued last year has reached a historic high.

According to National Post, according to data compiled online by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), Canada issued 216620 study visas in the first five months of 2024. Only 200205 study permits were issued during the same period in 2023.

As of the end of 2023, Canada has issued 682420 study permits to international students.

Among these study visas, Canada has issued the vast majority of permits to India. In 2023, Indian students obtained 278335 study visas, which is almost five times the number of students from the second largest source country of international students - Chinese students. In 2023, students from China obtained 58230 permits.

The third largest source country for international students in Canada in 2023 is Nigeria, and the federal government issued 37575 permits to Nigerian students in 2023. Next is the Philippines, which issued a total of 33830 student visas. Nepalese students received 15920 applications.

The data also shows that in the first five months of 2024, Indian students received 91510 study visas, which is more than the 85805 obtained in the same period last year.

In the first five months of this year, Chinese students obtained 21240 study visas, while students from China were granted 15565 study visas between January and May 2023.

By May 2024, Nigerian students have received 12450 study permits this year, up from 8150 in May 2023.

For the Philippines, 10140 licenses have been granted so far in 2024, which is also higher than the 9300 granted in the same period last year. Nepalese applicants have received 4655 study permits so far this year, compared to 3575 obtained between January and May last year.

In January of this year, Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced that he would set a cap on international student permit applications, with an estimated 360000 student visas approved, which is 35% less than 2023.

Under the pressure of housing shortage and ongoing affordability crisis, the federal government has been facing increasing numbers of temporary residents. According to Statistics Canada, in 2023, Canada will add a record 800000 non permanent residents, such as temporary workers and foreign students. As of January 1, 2024, the number of non permanent residents in Canada has reached 2.6 million. Last summer, there were reports that international students were unable to obtain housing and could only live a difficult life on the streets and in homeless shelters, including a student from Conestoga College in India who was found sleeping under a bridge in Toronto's East End, bringing the issue to its peak. International students are also considered a particularly significant pressure on housing and rental affordability in Canadian cities, especially in Ontario, which is the preferred destination for most foreign students.

At the end of last year, a food bank in Binton announced that it would no longer allow international students to use this service as there were too many to provide them with food.

Miller stated in a statement earlier this year that the upper limit set was determined based on the number of licenses expiring in 2024.