CIMM – Diversity and Impacts of International Students Program Reforms – February 28, 2024

Key Facts and Figures

• Over the last five years, India and China account for approximately 50% of all study permits issued.
• While the global approval rate is 61%, the average for all countries in Africa is 39%. Most refusals in Africa are tied to financial insufficiency and the inability for the candidates to demonstrate that they would return to their home country at the end of their authorized stay.

Key Messages

• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has announced a number of measures to strengthen program integrity and address student vulnerability.
• While the two-year cap on intake of study permit applications is necessary to limit growth and protect the integrity of the International Student Program while additional reforms take effect, Designated Learning Institutions (DLIs) could try to focus their recruitment efforts on geographic regions with high approval rates. This could result in fewer efforts being made to recruit international students from Africa, for example.
• On January 1, 2024, IRCC raised the cost-of-living financial requirement for single study permit applicants to $20,635. This change is intended to protect international students from vulnerability and exploitation, and ensure that they are better prepared financially for life in Canada. We are aware that this new financial requirement could make it harder for students from underrepresented cohorts with high potential but limited means to study in Canada.
• IRCC is developing two pilots focusing on: 1) students facing barriers to accessing the International Student Program from regions such as Africa; and 2) Francophone students destined to study in Francophone Minority Communities.
• IRCC is also advancing work on a Recognized Institutions Framework that would benefit post-secondary DLIs that set a higher standard for services, support and outcomes for international students. The Framework includes criteria around diversification, which should incentivize DLIs to increase their efforts to diversify their international student recruitment.