Canada To Consider Cap On Foreign Students As Housing Crisis Grows

Canada Housing Crisis: Immigration Minister Marc Miller said that he will be considering the prospect of capping the number of foreign students residing in Canada in the coming months. The decision from the minister comes in light of the country's mounting housing problem and unemployment. However, he did not state how much of a reduction in immigration the government intends to implement.

"This is a conversation the federal government will need to have with provincial governments "to make sure that the provinces that have not been doing their jobs rein in those numbers on a pure volume basis," the minister said, as quoted by news agency ANI.

Regarding the number of international students in Canada, Miller said, "That volume is disconcerting." "It's a system that has gotten out of control," he added.

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To help lower the demand for accommodation in both the first and second quarters of this year, Miller stated he will be considering the prospect of imposing a cap on international students.

When asked why his government is only now considering a cap, given that the idea was first proposed months ago, Miller responded that federal data needs to be sorted out before looking "a little more granularly" at what specific academic institutions are doing in various provinces, potentially making money by attracting more foreign students.

"We need to be doing our jobs and making sure that we have a system that makes sure people have a financial capability to come to Canada, that we're verifying offer letters," Miller said, adding, "And now it's time for us to have a conversation about volumes and the impact that is having in certain areas."

A cap on international students would not be a "one-size-fits-all solution" to housing shortages across Canada, Miller noted.

Miller added that housing is only one factor in immigration targets, noting that the number of foreign students entering Canada is significantly more than the number of homes the federal government plans to assist in building. He remarked that it is imperative to take into account the urgent need to lower the average age of the workforce.

While not going into specifics, Miller said a cap on international students is something the federal government is considering, "and will continue to consider."

"We have a sense of what those numbers would look like, what the reduction of those numbers looks like, out of courtesy to my colleagues in the provinces, those are discussions that we're first going to have around the negotiating table," he said, adding that the financial needs of academic institutions are also a factor.

(With ANI Inputs)