Could a cap on grad students from abroad hurt more than help? Experts raise the alarm
As Ottawa moves to include graduate students in its cap on international study permits, experts and advocates alike are raising questions about the need for the move, and suggesting it could prompt top talent to look elsewhere.
Students joining master's, doctoral and postdoctoral programs were previously exempt from the overall cap on international students that Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced in January.
But they are now included in a further reduction of student visas he announced this week, alongside other measures that seek to add stability to a ballooning population of temporary residents.
Ian Wereley, executive director of the Canadian Association for Graduate Studies, said the news landed without warning or consultation.
"All those I spoke to felt surprised or even blindsided by the announcement," he said in an email, describing the sector as "already in a state of crisis."
It's a move that inflicts "significant damage" on Canada's reputation as an international education destination, he said.
Miller acknowledged in his announcement, speaking in French, that the kinds of students coming to Canada to pursue master's degrees and PhDs are "better prepared" to succeed in Canada, and that they respond well to the needs of the Canadian job market.
That's why 12 per cent of international student visas will be reserved for graduate students, he said. His office later clarified that's in line with their historical share of the student population.
Numbers shared by U15 Canada, an association of 15 public research universities, suggest current levels of graduate students are already below the new cap — and that this group has not been significantly contributing to the bloated numbers of temporary residents Ottawa is trying to address.
The association's internal calculations found that there would still have been room for thousands more students last year and an even bigger number this year if the cap had been in place. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada did not immediately respond to a request for the latest figures.
Chad Gaffield, CEO of the U15 group, said graduate programs competing for the world's best and brightest were not really the problem when it came to mismanagement in the world of foreign student immigration.
"I heard no justification," he said, for why graduate students should be part of the cap, which research has already shown is causing fewer students to apply to study in Canada.
Asked for a rationale, Miller's office said the idea is to prevent bad actors from finding ways to get around the rules.
"What we didn't want is institutions creating fake graduate programs just to find a loophole," said spokeswoman Aissa Diop.
For Gaffield, there's a risk that research universities — and by extension, sectors that need professionals with highly specialized education — will end up as "collateral damage" in the government's effort to reduce numbers and target fraud.
The world's most talented scholars are usually juggling multiple offers, often from multiple countries, he said, making it a "very, very competitive environment."
While Canada has built up a reputation over decades for welcoming them with open arms, he suggested that's changing: "The headline is going to be, and has been, that Canada is not as welcoming as we have been traditionally."
Steve Orsini, president and CEO of the Council of Ontario Universities, said the cap creates "further complexity to the application process" and could dissuade highly skilled students from choosing Canada.
"This could impact advanced degrees in fields such as engineering, health care, life sciences, AI and more."
André Côté, director of policy and research at The Dais, a think tank within Toronto Metropolitan University, said the broader policy goal of moving towards sustainable numbers is appropriate.
But this week's announcement could discourage some high achievers, he said. "We don't need to be dissuading that large of a number of students to have a major impact if some of the real high flyers don't want to come."
In addition to the cap, Ottawa is tightening restrictions on spousal work permits for some students. Starting later this year, spouses of master's degree students will only be eligible to work in Canada if their partner's program is at least 16 months in duration.
Immigration lawyer Barbara Jo Caruso agreed that spousal restrictions can be major deterrents for graduate students, especially since there is already a huge price tag on their programs.
Caruso, who is the founding partner of Corporate Immigration Law Firm in Toronto, said she isn't surprised to see the government trying to move towards more stability in the overall system.
But she was skeptical that the graduate student population is even a "drop in the bucket" of the problem Ottawa is trying to tackle.
"It seems to me that they're doing things to look like they're doing things," she said. "I can't really imagine that, now, including the graduates in this cap is really going to make that big of a difference."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 20, 2024.
IN DEPTH
Jagmeet Singh pulls NDP out of deal with Trudeau Liberals, takes aim at Poilievre Conservatives
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has pulled his party out of the supply-and-confidence agreement that had been helping keep Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's minority Liberals in power.
'Not the result we wanted': Trudeau responds after surprise Conservative byelection win in Liberal stronghold
Conservative candidate Don Stewart winning the closely-watched Toronto-St. Paul's federal byelection, and delivering a stunning upset to Justin Trudeau's candidate Leslie Church in the long-time Liberal riding, has sent political shockwaves through both parties.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Tensions run high on the Hill as MPs debate second Conservative motion of non-confidence
Members of Parliament debated the second Conservative motion of non-confidence in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government of the week on Thursday, amid simmering tensions.
WATCH LIVE Helene strengthens to a Category 4 hurricane as it nears Florida's Gulf Coast
Helene strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane hours ahead of its expected landfall on Florida's northwest coast Thursday night, and forecasters warned that the enormous storm could create a 'nightmare' surge in coastal areas and bring dangerous winds and rain across much of the southeastern U.S.
Cold case arrest: Nunavut RCMP charge man with murder in 1986 death of teenage girl
Mounties in Nunavut have made an arrest in the murder of a 15-year-old girl almost 40 years ago.
Mounties in B.C. warn 'highly convincing' scammers extorting victims with photos of their homes
Scammers are increasingly using emails to extort money from victims by threatening to reveal compromising photos, videos and personal information to their friends and family members, according to a new warning from Mounties in Metro Vancouver.
Air Canada flight to Toronto diverts due to emergency
An Air Canada flight headed to Toronto from Frankfurt diverted to Edinburgh due to an emergency Thursday, the airline says.
Canadian rapper K'naan charged with sexual assault following arrest in Quebec City
Canadian singer K’naan has been charged with sexual assault after being arrested by police in Quebec City.
NDP MP introduces bill to criminalize residential school denialism
An NDP MP has introduced a bill that would criminalize residential school denialism, saying it would help stop harm caused toward survivors, their families and communities.
Masking reintroduced in N.S. hospitals as respiratory illnesses increase
A partial masking mandate has returned to Nova Scotia hospitals and provincially run healthcare facilities for visitors and healthcare workers.
Eye drops recalled in Canada over infection risk
A Canadian pharmaceutical company is warning consumers not to use some of its eye drops because of potential microbial growth that may result in eye infections.
Local Spotlight
'It's a big pizza': Edmonton pizzeria selling pie that can feed up to 60 people
A pizza chain in Edmonton claims to have the world's largest deliverable pizza.
'I loved growing up in Nova Scotia': Sarah McLachlan excited to return to Halifax roots for tour
Sarah McLachlan is returning to her hometown of Halifax in November.
'Hats off to him': 87-year-old player still hitting the court in Sackville, N.B.
Wayne MacKay is still playing basketball twice at Mount Allison University at 87 years old.
'You're headed on a Tim's run': Alberta man puts Canadian spin on hit songs
A man from a small rural Alberta town is making music that makes people laugh.
'It's my most stolen image': Concerns raised about stolen Indigenous art for Orange Shirt Day
An Indigenous artist has a buyer-beware warning ahead of Sept. 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
Ice cream criminals: Lethbridge break-in sees suspects steal plenty of pints
Police are looking to the public for help after thieves broke into a Lethbridge ice creamery, stealing from the store.
Delivering smiles: Winnipeg Canada Post employees going above and beyond while on the job
An ordinary day on the job delivering mail in East Elmwood quickly turned dramatic for Canada Post letter carrier Jared Plourde. A woman on his route was calling out in distress.
'We'll come back': Fire destroys barn, 17,000 plants at family-owned N.B. business
Fire has destroyed a barn and 17,000 plants at a family-owned business in Lower Coverdale, N.B.
Jeanne Beker, the trailblazer of Canadian fashion and music storytelling, inspires new Calgary exhibition
Before influencers on social media, Canada’s Jeanne Beker was bringing the world of high fashion down to earth and as Calgary’s Glenbow Museum gets a major make-over, it will include a new exhibition showcasing the pop culture icon.