Canada: Advocate Warns of Potential Decrease in Int'l Students Following Raised Income Requirement

Following the latest announcement by the Canadian government to increase the cost-of-living financial requirement for international students applying for study permits, an advocate is saying the decision may result in a decline in enrollment.

Jawad Chowdhury, executive director of campaigns for Memorial University’s student union, told CBC News that the move could lead to fewer international students choosing Canada as their study destination.

However, he believes the decision is an important step towards being transparent to international students planning to study in Canada.

Immigration Minister Marc Miller confirmed on Thursday that international students will soon need to show they have $20,635 in their bank accounts instead of the current amount of $10,000 in order to have their study permit applications approved, Erudera.com reports.

According to a news release by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), this amount is in addition to their first year of tuition and travel costs.

Miller stated that the decision aims to prevent students from finding out they have insufficient financial means only upon their arrival in the country. The change will be effective for study permit applications submitted on or after January 1, 2024.

While announcing the decision, IRCC said that the cost-of-living requirement for study permit applications had not been changed since the early 2000s. It remained at $10,000 for a single applicant, meaning it didn’t keep up with living costs in recent years.

“As such, the financial requirement hasn’t kept up with the cost of living over time, resulting in students arriving in Canada only to learn that their funds aren’t adequate,” IRCC December 7 statement reads.

The government has also extended international students’ work rights policy, permitting the latter to work off-campus more than 20 hours per week until April 30, 2024, when the academic year ends.

“The waiver on the 20-hour-per-week limit on the number of hours international students are allowed to work off campus while class is in session will be extended to April 30, 2024,” IRCC said.

Despite student groups’ requests, Miller rejected the possibility of allowing international students to work full time and asked institutions to admit students only if the latter have a place to stay in Canada, recalling the country’s housing crisis.

These measures are Canada’s latest steps to prevent student exploitation and ensure they are supported and protected in the country.

According to government figures, there were more than 800,000 international students in Canada last year, with 373,599 international students enrolled in higher education alone.