Canada announces new restrictions on work permits for Nigerians and other international students, spouses

The Canadian Government has announced a two-year cap on the number of new study permits issued to Nigerians and other international students.

Immigration Minister Marc Miller who disclosed this on Monday, January 22, said for 2024, the cap is expected to result in approximately 364,000 approved study permits, a decrease of 35% from 2023.

In addition to the cap, the Canadian government will also require international students applying for a permit to provide an attestation letter from a province or territory.

Miller also announced changes to the post-graduation work permit program, starting that from September, international students who begin a program that is part of a curriculum licensing arrangement — where a private college has been licensed to deliver the curriculum of an associated public college — will no longer be eligible for a post-graduation work permit.

Graduates of master’s and other “short graduate-level programs” will “soon” be able to apply for a three-year work permit. Open work permits will also only be made available to the spouses of international students in master’s and doctoral programs.

According to him, “These measures are to ensure that as future students arrive in Canada, they receive the quality of education that they signed up for and the hope that they were provided in their home countries.

It would be a disservice to welcome international students to Canada knowing that not all of them are getting the resources they need to succeed in Canada. Allowing bad actors to continue their operations would be a disservice to all of the good institutions who pride themselves on providing a top-tier academic experience.

It is unacceptable that some private institutions have taken advantage of international students by operating under-resourced campuses, lacking supports for students, and charging high tuition fees – all the while significantly increasing their intake of international students.”