The Canadian government is approving fewer visas for visitors and temporary visitors – a move that resulted from an unprecedented increase in net immigration and has caused a shortage and high prices of housing.
In July of 2024, a total of 5,853 foreign travellers were denied entry to Canada, including here students, tourists as well as workers. This is the highest number of people refused entry since January of 2019, VisaGuide.World reports.
As the government data revealed by Reuters points out, the trend of turning foreigners away has been constantly increasing in the last months. In the first seven months of 2024, 3,727 people on average were denied entry. That is an increase of 20 percent from the same period last year.
Data by Statista reveals that the number of immigrants arriving in Canada reached 468,817 in July of 2024, while the number of neutralized Canadian citizens is 375,413. The majority of foreigners to Canada come from India, China and the Philippines. Americans are the fifth most common foreign-born resident group in Canada.
CBSA Says There Are No Policy Changes As Fewer Visas Are Being Granted
A total of 285 visa holders were rejected in July alone, which is the highest number since January 2019. The increase in people being rejected at the Canadian border is evident on data but the authorities claim no change of policies has occurred in the last year.
A representative for the Canada Border Services Agency said that these changes have emerged from migration patterns or policy changes, but the authority could not identify any policy change during this period.
The CBSA’s role, policy, and practice has always been to assess the admissibility of persons coming to Canada. This has not changed.
Millions of People Enter Canada Every Year
Between 2023 and 2024, there were 30.7 million entries by foreign nationals to Canada, while the number of those detained was 4,928, as the data by the CBSA reveals. On average, 260 people were detained on a daily basis.
The main reasons for detaining these people in the period between 2023 and 2024 are as follows:
- “Unlikely to appear”, with 3,928 people being detained for this reason
- “Unlikely to appear/danger to the public” (428)
- Identity (312)
In addition, in the period between 2021 and 2022, the majority of people detained were recorded in Ontario (1,477), followed by Quebec (680) and British Columbia (680).