Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) recently published an update on the minimum funds required to apply for a study permit. IRCC now requires aspiring international students to have $20,635, which is an increase of over 50% of the previous fund requirement of $10,000, which was previously implemented in the year 2000. The policy is said to take effect from January 1st, 2024.
The immigration apex body acknowledges that international students have contributed to life on campuses and innovation across the country, they have also experienced some serious challenges, such as finding adequate housing, as they pursue their studies in Canada.
The Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, posited that this threshold will be adjusted each year when Statistics Canada updates the low-income cut-off (LICO). LICO represents the minimum income necessary to ensure that an individual does not have to spend a more significant than average portion of income on necessities.
While this will help prevent student vulnerability and exploitation, we recognize that the impact of the change could vary depending on the applicant. Next year, in collaboration with partners, we intend to implement targeted pilots that will test new ideas aimed at helping underrepresented cohorts of international students pursue their studies in Canada.
Today’s announcement follows essential reforms to the International Student Program announced on October 27, 2023, regarding the development of a new framework to recognize learning institutions that provide top-quality services and support, including housing, to international students. We expect learning institutions to only accept the number of students that they can provide adequate supports for, including housing options.
In welcoming international students, we are responsible for ensuring that students are supported when they come to our country. Ahead of the September 2024 semester, we are prepared to take necessary measures, including limiting visas, to ensure that designated learning institutions provide adequate and sufficient student supports as part of the academic experience. To achieve this result, it is imperative to work together with provincial and territorial governments, learning institutions and other education stakeholders, so we can ensure international students are set up for success in Canada.
Minister Miller gave an update on three temporary policies that were set to expire at the end of 2023.
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. International students already in Canada and applicants who have already submitted an application for a study permit as of December 7, 2023, will be able to work off campus more than 20 hours per week until that time. We continue to examine options for this policy in the future, such as expanding off-campus work hours for international students to 30 hours per week while class is in session.
The facilitative measure that has allowed international students to count time spent studying online towards the length of a future post-graduation work permit, as long as it constitutes less than 50% of the program of study, will continue to be in place for students who begin a study program before September 1, 2024. This measure will no longer apply to students who begin a study program on or after that date. Distance learning facilitation measures were first implemented in 2020 in response to travel restrictions during the pandemic, and were reduced in scope in September 2022. At this point, the vast majority of international students are studying in person in Canada.
In response to labour market disruptions during the pandemic and post-pandemic recovery, a temporary policy was introduced on 3 occasions to provide an additional 18-month work permit to post-graduation work permit holders as their initial work permit was expiring. Foreign nationals with a post-graduation work permit expiring until December 31, 2023, remain eligible to apply. However, this temporary policy will not be extended further.
We value the significant social, cultural and economic benefits that international students bring to Canada, and for those benefits to continue, we must tackle issues that have made some students vulnerable and have challenged the integrity of the International Student Program. With the long-overdue increase to the cost-of-living threshold, students arriving in Canada will be stronger financially as they begin their studies.
“International students provide significant cultural, social and economic benefits to their communities, but they have also faced challenges navigating life in Canada. We are revising the cost-of-living threshold so that international students understand the true cost of living here. This measure is key to their success in Canada. We are also exploring options to ensure that students find adequate housing. These long-overdue changes will protect international students from financially vulnerable situations and exploitation.” – The Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
