Rising Housing Prices Linked to High Immigration: Canada Restricts Foreign Student Visas | WPN World People News

Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Marco Mendicino, announced on the 22nd that the number of foreign student visas issued will be significantly reduced in the next two years, with an expected reduction of about 35% this year. According to foreign media reports, the number of international students in Canada exceeded 800,000 in 2022, nearly four times the number ten years ago, leading to a surge in demand for housing and social services for foreign students, which has put considerable pressure on Canada. Mendicino said that this year, it is expected that 360,000 international students will obtain student visas, a net decrease of 35% from 2023. The validity period of a student visa is three years, and Mendicino emphasized that this limit does not apply to master’s, doctoral, primary, and secondary school students. Mendicino said that this restriction is intended to “enhance the integrity of the program, lay the foundation for the success of international students, and maintain Canada’s temporary residency at a sustainable level.” Mendicino also said that the government will restrict the eligibility of foreign students to obtain work visas and crack down on private universities and fake academic institutions that charge high tuition fees to international students but provide poor quality education or no education at all, calling such practices “unacceptable.”