Generally, people get on a roller coaster of their own volition and make the choice to enjoy the ride or scream at every turn. In this case, Immigration, Refugee and Citizen Canada (IRCC) is the roller coaster and international students are being told to brace themselves because of uncertainty and changing policies.
A press release by IRCC on January 22 stated that “international students enrich our communities and are a critical part of Canada’s social, cultural and economic fabric.”
This implies a symbiotic relationship where international students are welcomed and the Canadian social, cultural and economic fabric is enriched by their presence. In the same breath, immigration minister Marc Miller announced a 360,000 cap on study permits, a 35% decrease from the previous year.
Miller cited a need to alleviate the pressures placed by international students on housing, health care and other services. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the federal government announced a temporary policy that allowed international students to work up to a maximum of 40 hours per week.
This policy came to an end on April 30, 2023, followed by a new limit of 20 hours per week. As of November 8, 2024, the government made changes that allowed for a maximum of 24 hours per week for off-campus work.
Despite this pronouncement, there’s a sense of nervousness as to what other changes are looming. Another source of concern is the Post Graduate Work Permit (PGWP), available for more than a decade for international students to continue working in the country
after graduation.
The program has traditionally provided graduates with a three-year open work permit depending on the length of their completed program. This was a win-win situation as it provided graduates with the opportunity to work and apply for permanent residence as well as provide employers with a highly skilled labour force.
In the past year, Miller indicated there will be reforms to the PGWP program. “Work is underway to re-align the program to better meet targeted labour market needs and immigration objectives,” he said.
In plain English, it will allow PGWP to only be issued to industries that experience “labour shortages.” On October 11, 2024, IRCC released “the field of study” categories to address the labour shortages: agriculture and agri-food, healthcare, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and trade and transport.
For future graduates who were not in these categories, the prospects of a PGWP dwindled. Almost a month later, the minister’s office communicated that a ‘grandfathering’ approach would be used for international students who applied for study permits before November 1, 2024.
This meant that hope was restored for many of us who were not registered in the five categories. Despite this hope, there’s uncertainty around permit implication for those whose permit needs to be renewed because of changes in programs or new fields of study.
With the rising costs of living, nervousness around working hours and continuous reforms to IRCC policies, international students are put into situations of constant uncertainty. Prolonged uncertainty creates anxiety, often a pretext for depression or other mental health issues.
As international students are forced to ride the IRCC roller coaster, they are told they have the choice to scream or enjoy the ride. No one knows how long the ride will last or what it will look like at the end.
All we can do is sit with bated breath for some sort of clarity and consistency. It is important for Miller to remember that the best way to preserve this critical part of Canada’s social, cultural and economic fabric is to provide certainty. Certainty reduces negativity, improves student wellness and affects overall productivity.
