CIMM – Parliamentary Context – April 20, 2026

Committee and Appearance Overview

About the Committee

Motion for this study

That further to its study on Canada’s Immigration System and in light of the findings of the Auditor General’s report on international student permit reforms tabled in parliament on March 23rd, 2026, the committee report to the House its grave concern regarding the integrity of Canada’s international student program and the potential for mass fraud and call on the government to restore trust, control and transparency and accountability to Canada’s immigration system and; 

• Require IRCC to investigate all alleged cases of international study permit fraud or non-compliance and provide the committee on a quarterly basis with a report detailing the results of these investigations from the previous quarter and how many full-time employees (FTE)-equivalent of the government are working on them and that such report shall be provided to the committee by no later than May 15th, 2026
• Provide a report to the committee by no later than 30 days following the adoption of this motion detailing the number of the 153,324 individuals referred to in the OAG’s report on international student permit reforms tabled in parliament on March 23rd, 2026 suspected of international study permit fraud and non-compliance who were given further visas or otherwise remain in Canada;
• Direct IRCC to provide the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) with the identities of the 110 asylum seekers mentioned in the OAG’ report who entered Canada using fraudulent documents as part of their application for a study permit, so that this information can be added to their asylum claim files;
• Call on the government to ensure that all those who enter Canada on fraudulent visas are not issued further visas;
• The next meeting of this committee’s study be scheduled to investigate fraud identified by the OAG in Canada’s international study permit system and the committee invite the following witnesses to appear on a panel together, for two hours, the Ministers responsible during the audit period, including the Hon. Lena Diab, the Hon. Sean Fraser, the Hon. Marc Miller, IRCC officials and the IRB.

Environmental Scan

The Office of the Auditor General of Canada (OAG) conducted an audit to determine whether Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is effectively implementing reforms to the International Student Program, following the introduction of a cap in January 2024, to reduce intake. Reforms also included new measures to strengthen program integrity, address fraud, and increase diversity.

Media coverage on the OAG report on international students was persistent and included criticism from immigration critic Conservative MP Michelle Rempel-Garner, who argued the Department must fix longstanding problems. In the House, the Leader of the Opposition devoted significant time to the topic, claiming immigration ministers have ignored proof of massive fraud. This comment was echoed by Bloc Québécois Member of Parliament (MP) and immigration critic Alexis Deschênes.

On Tuesday, April 14, CIMM tabled its report “Reconstituting the International Student Program,” which includes numerous recommendations for reform and a dissenting opinion from the Conservative party of Canada (CPC) with its own proposals. These are detailed further in the parties’ respective sections below.

Appearance Details

The Deputy Minister has been invited to appear for two hours, with the Auditor General and Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) (TBC). He will deliver a five-minute opening statement, followed by rounds of questioning from committee members. Also appearing are the Auditor General and CBSA officials. The following IRCC officials are also scheduled to appear:

• Ted Gallivan, Deputy Minister
• Alexis Graham, a/Assistant Deputy Minister, Economic Programs
• Tara Lang, Director General, Integrity Policy & Programs

Membership

Conservative party of Canada

Top Party Issues

On April 14, CIMM tabled its report Reconstituting the International Student Program. The Conservative Party of Canada presented a dissenting opinion alongside the report, which included a series of recommendations relevant to this study, including:

• Recommendation 1: That the Government of Canada, in conjunction with education institutions, establish a comprehensive plan to tie approval of international student permits with housing availability, healthcare capacity, and jobs in the target region.
• Recommendation 2: That the Government of Canada establish a framework of financial liability for educational institutions, tied to asylum claims and visa overstays made by international students.
• Recommendation 3: That the Government of Canada conduct regular and precise tracking, disclosure to Parliament of international student permit applicants that: apply for asylum, are deemed non-compliant, are issued removal orders, have their permits withdrawn due to criminal activity.
• Recommendation 4: That the Government of Canada enforce language proficiency requirements in order to admit international student applicants that have the greatest potential to succeed and contribute to Canadian society.
• Recommendation 5: That the Government of Canada more clearly review and track study permit applications by country of origin that apply for asylum, and ensure that legitimate claims are prioritized, while fraudulent claims are not.
• Recommendation 6: That the Government of Canada take steps to enforce existing regimes of reporting from educational institutions, to ensure the most accurate data is collected on compliance of study permit holders.
• Recommendation 7: That the Government of Canada establish a framework in which immigration consultants report to lawyers to address the widespread fraud affecting international students.

Recent Party Activity

CPC Immigration Shadow Minister, Michelle Rempel-Garner, posts about IRCC matters numerous times a day on her X account.*

• April 14 – CIMM Report: The CPC presented a dissenting opinion to the committee’s Report 4: Reconstituting the International Student Program, in which they make a series of recommendations calling on the government to more closely monitor international student intake and introduce certain new requirements (CIMM CPC Members).
• April 14 – Routine Proceedings: Supported the CPC dissenting opinion to CIMM Report 4, argued “the government failed to consult communities on whether they could sustainably handle the massive influx of international students” (Menegakis).
• March 26 – Debates: Noted the nearly million foreign students on work permits the formal immigration minister allowed into the country in a two-year period (Rempel Garner).
• March 26 – Debates: Noted the 240,000 student permits issued in the last year, compared to 187,000 in 2015 (Holman).
• March 25 – X: Shared a clip on the passed motion at CIMM to investigate fraud in the international student program (Redekopp).
• March 24 – Debates: Voiced concern over the 150,000 fraudulent international students, where less than 3% were investigated by the government (Hardy).
• March 23 – National Post: Told reporters that the Auditor General’s report underscores the fact that there aren’t adequate checks and balances to forbade fraud (Rempel Garner).
• March 23 – CIMM: Inquired why the government is announcing scholarships for non-Canadian student instead of Canadians (Ho).
• March 23 – PACP: Asked if it would be better to stop working in silos regarding immigration and students (Deltell).
• February 25 – Debates: Noted the lack of accountability and control of the immigration system in terms of criminal offenses by international students (Kronis).
• February 24 – Debates: Mentioned the failure by the government to manage the admission of temporary foreign workers and international students into non-essential jobs and fake universities (Konanz).

Bloc Québécois

Top Party Issues

The Bloc Québécois (BQ) is frequently vocal on immigration. The BQ advocates for Quebec to have greater control over immigration. The party has persistently raised concerns about the number of asylum claimants housed in Quebec, which they state is suffering under a disproportionately large burden. They have also argued government measures related to international students and temporary foreign workers impact Quebec negatively.

During the 2025 election campaign, the party made the following commitments:

Temporary foreign workers 

• Open sectoral and regional permits for temporary foreign workers.

Border or asylum issues

• Creating a Minister of the Border and implementing stronger border security measures. The BQ intends to introduce a private member’s bill aimed at improving processing times for asylum claims.

French immigration and Quebec

• The BQ is opposed to the Century Initiative and wants Quebec to have full autonomy over immigration.

Settlement and integration

• The BQ has committed to a policy for integrating immigrants into Quebec society. The party would also remove all references to the British monarchy in citizenship ceremonies.

Recent Party Activity

• March 27 – Hill Times: Voiced deep concern abut IRCC’s “disregard” for potential fraud with study permits and is shocked the government didn’t consider acting in the 800 cases of fraudulent documents (Brunelle-Duceppe).
• March 26 – Debates: Noted to Office of Auditor General (OAG) report on international students, and concerns about the integrity of the process (Deschênes).
• March 23 – CIMM: Spoke on the OAG report, flagging IRCC’s 150,000 cases of students who potentially failed to comply with the terms of their study permits (Deschênes).
• March 23 – CIMM: Inquired on how IRCC will account for the 800 problem cases where study permit applications were based on fraudulent documents (Deschênes).
• February 9 – CIMM: Noted all processing times are increasing in all programs, such as international students (Brunelle-Duceppe).
• November 25, 2025 – CIMM: Asked a stakeholder about the integration and welcoming of new international students to note current reception capacities (Brunelle-Duceppe).
• November 25, 2025 – CIMM: Inquired on if the decline in the number of foreign students is affecting the sustainability of some postsecondary programs (Brunelle-Duceppe).
• November 20, 2025 – FAAE: Asked if there has been a large migration movement of asylum seekers and students coming to Canada on fake invitations from universities (Simard).
• October 21, 2025 – Debates: Voiced concern over asylum claims filed by some fake international students to visas to enter Canada (Blanchette-Joncas).
• October 9, 2025 – CIMM: Inquired on the international reputation of the current education system for international students in Canada (Brunelle-Duceppe).
• September 25, 2025 – CIMM: Noted that international students are of crucial importance to Quebec, especially to universities outside of major centres (Brunelle-Duceppe).

Liberal Party of Canada

Top Party Issues

The Liberal Party of Canada (LPC) made the following commitments during the 2025 election campaign:

Refugees

• Supporting legal aid for asylum seekers and refugees and expanding the Rainbow Refugee Assistance Partnership.

Temporary foreign workers 

• Capping the total number of temporary workers and international students to less than 5% of Canada’s population by the end of 2027.

Processing times and client service

• Enhancing cooperation between governments, agencies, and organizations for real-time information sharing to improve efficiency and service delivery.

Border or asylum issues

• Planning to strengthen border integrity by increasing resources for security screenings, tightening visa requirements and enhancing enforcement against fraud.

Digitization

• Leveraging digital tools to reduce processing times and eliminate backlogs.

French immigration

• Increasing French immigration outside Quebec to 12% by 2029.
• The LPC leader said it is important to improve the distribution of immigration between provinces.

Levels

• Stabilizing permanent resident admissions at less than 1% of Canada’s population annually beyond 2027 and capping immigration until it can be returned to a sustainable trend.

Recent Party Activity

• April 14 – CIMM Report: The LPC included a supplementary opinion to the committee’s Report 4: Reconstituting the International Student Program, in which they call on provincial governments to better fund designated learning institutions and to monitor and audit their intake of international students (CIMM Liberal Members).
• March 26 – Debates: Spoke on the 60% decline in the number of international students on an annual basis (Fragiskatos).
• March 25 – Debates: Claimed the number of international students has fallen by 70% (Carney).
• March 24 – Debates: Noted the government has already initiated improvements to the immigration system before the audit started, and that student visas have been examined (Diab).
• March 23 – CIMM: Claimed that new arrivals of international students have dropped by 53% in 2025 (Diab).
• March 12 – Debates: Noted that anyone in the process of becoming Canadian, such as international students, will face the full consequences of the law, including deportation, if they have committed a serious crime (Dzerowicz).
• March 9 – Debates: Inquired how can stronger federal and provincial coordination improve integrity and consistency in nominee programs in relation to international students (Sodhi).