Nova Scotia’s International visa quota will be reduced by 35 percent, as revealed by the Canadian authorities.
The decision was announced during Province House’s debate on the provincial budget last week, VisaGuide.World report.
The Minister of Advanced Education, Brian Wong, said that Nova Scotia has reached its maximum quota of receiving international study applications for the 2024-25 school year, totalling 12,900.
Such a number represents a decrease of 7,000 applications compared to 2023. Meanwhile, the new quota aligns with the federal government’s goal of reducing international applications by 35 per cent, as reported by the Hamilton Spectator.
The 12,000 quota will be allocated between designated learning institutions, including universities, NSCC, private career colleges, and language schools.
However, Minister Wong did not specify how this number would be allocated – whether each school would receive an equal portion, for instance, or if it would be based on factors such as the school’s current student population or the number of international students currently enrolled.
Reportedly, educational institutions have been recently informed about the 12,900 figure, but the authorities have until the end of March to determine how it will be allocated.
Canada Reduced International Student Permits by 35%
In January of this year, the Canadian government introduced restrictive measures to reduce the increasing number of international students, including capping the number of study permits issued annually.
More specifically, Immigration, Citizenship and Refugees Canada (IRCC) aims to lower the number of approved study permits to 360,000, representing a 35 percent decrease compared to 2023.
The Canadian Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Marc Miller, stated back then that these measures aim to protect a system that’s become so profitable but is also being misused.
Enough is enough. Through the decisive measures announced today, we are striking the right balance for Canada and ensuring the integrity of our immigration system while setting students up for the success they hope for.
Canada Recorded Over 1 Million International Students Last Year
In 2023, the number of foreign students with active study permits in Canada surpassed one million figure, reaching 1,040,985. Such a figure represented a 29 percent increase compared to 2022, as reported by ICEF Monitor, referring to the IRCC data.
The highest number of study permits in 2023 were issued to students from India, China, the Philippines, Nigeria, France, Iran, Nepal, Vietnam and Mexico.