World Education Services (WES) is a non-profit social enterprise dedicated to helping international students, immigrants, and refugees achieve their educational and career goals in the United States and Canada. The weekly roundup includes research, stories, and events of interest to the Canadian immigration and settlement community. This content has been created by WES and is reproduced here with their permission, in partnership.
Immigration and a Population Strategy for Canada (Part 1) (CD Howe Institute)
As Canada navigates a challenging economic landscape, experts are putting forward recommendations to support planning for an equitable and sustainable immigration system. To safeguard Canada's productivity, immigration policy must consider balancing population growth, population aging, and regionalization. Reduced immigration to pre-pandemic levels may signal additional concerns for an aging population but would see stabilized population growth. Maintaining or increasing the current rate of immigration would lessen the impact of an aging population - Canada would bear significant costs associated with high population growth including greater strain on social and economic infrastructure. Greater focus should also be placed on a regionalization strategy that ensures economies across the country are supported with the skills needed to bolster their workforce, and newcomers have access to adequate resources to succeed in a new region.
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Canada ends fast-track study permit processing (The Pie)
The Canadian federal government announced an end to the Student Direct Stream (SDS) and the Nigeria Student Express (NSE), reducing fast-tracked processing for post-secondary applicants from certain countries. Under the SDS, introduced in 2018, students from 14 countries, including Brazil, China, India, Pakistan, Philippines, Senegal, and Vietnam would have expedited processing for their permits. Permits under the SDS were typically processed in 4-6 weeks compared to non-SDS permits, which could take months to get approved. The NSE followed a similar process for students coming from Nigeria. As of November 8, these initiatives have ended, and according to IRCC, all new study permit applications will be processed through regular study permits streams. Applications sent in before 2:00 pm EST on November 8, will be processed under those streams, while those submitted on or after this time will be processed under regular streaming.
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Canada: Sector survey says collaboration between governments and institutions essential to avoid “long-term damage to the sector” (ICEF Monitor)
A recent IDP survey shows that the majority of leaders of Canadian colleges and universities disagree with recent policy changes affecting international students. More than 200 international education stakeholders responded to the survey, with 37 percent working at universities, 26 percent at colleges, and three-quarters holding management or executive leadership positions. Nearly 9 in 10 of leaders note that that their institutions have been negatively impacted and had not been properly consulted prior to new measures being introduced. Most respondents felt that interventions were at least moderately necessary, while 68 percent indicated that they do not approve of the specific policies introduced. In response to updated regulations, a mounting number of Canadian colleges and universities are closing campuses or letting go of staff due to plummeting numbers and support from local and federal governments.
Further reading:
Immigration cuts will help narrow Canada’s housing gap but won’t solve crisis (RBC)
The Canadian federal government's latest decision to reduce immigration targets has been expected to decrease housing demand and help narrow the housing supply gap. The policy aims to reduce the number of permanent and non-permanent residents, leading to a projected 0.4 percent population drop by 2026. While this may alleviate the housing shortage by decreasing household formation, the article emphasizes that it won’t instantly solve the affordability crisis. Lower immigration is predicted to cool the rental market, especially near educational institutions, and reduce investor demand for condos and apartments. However, declining interest rates are expected to boost homebuyer demand in the near term, offsetting some impacts of reduced immigration. The affordability crisis is likely to persist, with relief coming slowly through increased rental vacancies, lower interest rates, and rising incomes, but home prices are not expected to drop significantly.
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