A recent announcement from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) in the Canadian Gazette has sparked interest due to proposed changes to Canada's international student program.
Of particular significance among these proposed changes is IRCC's recommendation that international students seeking to switch their Designated Learning Institution (DLI) in Canada must apply for a new study permit. DLIs are the only schools authorized to enroll international students in Canada and must adhere to regulations established by IRCC.
Currently, DLIs fall under provincial jurisdiction and are governed by provincial regulations. The federal government lacks the means to ensure compliance with new admission regulations at individual institutions.
What is IRCC proposing for international students who want to change schools in Canada?
According to the release, IRCC is proposing (among other changes) that:
- Students wishing to switch DLIs must apply for a new study permit before the start date of their new program.
- Students will be allowed to attend the new DLI without a valid study permit until a decision is made on their application, provided they stay in Canada and meet all other conditions of their current study permit.
How might this impact international students in Canada?
IRCC’s proposal includes an impact assessment detailing the costs and benefits for various stakeholders affected by the policy. Particularly noteworthy are the impacts on international students and DLIs.
For international students, there will be a financial cost of $150 per new application and a time investment of 30 to 45 minutes per application preparation. Total costs are estimated at $55.5 million Present Value (PV) over 10 periods of 12 months. Additionally, processing times may increase due to a surge in applications, although IRCC plans to mitigate this by reallocating resources. The administrative burden and uncertainty associated with the new requirement could disrupt students' academic plans.
On the other hand, DLIs will incur compliance and administrative costs related to verifying Letters of Acceptance (LOAs)—a crucial part of the new study permit application process—with an estimated total cost of $4.8 million PV over 10 periods. Initially, LOA verification is expected to take three minutes per application, decreasing to 30 seconds as institutions become familiar with the process.
Will these changes be adopted?
While it remains uncertain whether IRCC will implement the proposed changes and to what extent, past experiences offer insights into potential outcomes. The current proposals are currently in a 30-day consultation phase, which ends on July 29th, 2024. Since fall 2022, IRCC has consulted on various policies aimed at enhancing the International Student Program, involving provincial and territorial ministries responsible for immigration and education, national education associations, individual DLIs, and student representative organizations. Many previously consulted policies have been adopted following these consultations.
For instance, the LOA verification process underwent consultations and adjustments, leading to its adoption on December 1st, 2023, based on feedback from provincial and territorial representatives and national education associations. IRCC will consider feedback received during the consultation period before determining the next steps in policy development.
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