Canada saw 50,000 ‘no-show’ international students, Indians top table with 19,582: Report

Close to 50,000 international students who received study permits for Canada were reported as “no-shows” at their designated colleges and universities, with Indian nationals making up the largest group at 19,582, according to a report, citing government figures for two months last spring

Under the International Student Compliance Regime, implemented in 2014, educational institutions are required to report twice a year on student attendance and compliance with study permits.

The International Student Compliance Regime was designed to help spot bogus students and assist provinces in identifying questionable schools.

In March and April 2024, colleges and universities reported on students from 144 countries to the IRCC, revealing significant non-compliance rates among international students. The top 10 countries with the highest “no-show” rates included the Philippines at 2.2% (688 no-shows), China at 6.4% (4,279 no-shows), Iran at 11.6% (1,848 no-shows), and Rwanda at 48.1% (802 no-shows), reported The Globe and Mail.

Henry Lotin, a former federal economist and founder of Integrative Trade and Economics, told the The Globe and Mail that requiring international students to pay fees upfront could reduce system abuse.

Notably, nearly 20,000 Indian students — 5.4% of the total tracked by the IRCC — were classified as non-compliant with their visas.

Indian law enforcement is currently investigating potential links between various Canadian colleges and two entities in India suspected of facilitating illegal border crossings into the US. Instead of attending classes, these students allegedly crossed into the United States unlawfully.

The RCMP said it has “reached out to India through its International Policing Liaison Officers to gather further information on ongoing investigations.”

Lotin said that most Indian students who were reported as no-shows likely remained in Canada, working and seeking to settle there. He highlighted a record rise in international students claiming asylum in Canada last year, adding that only a “very small subset” may have crossed into the US. He emphasised that most students aspire to work and become permanent residents of Canada.

According to The Globe and Mail report, Immigration Minister Marc Miller in November tightened regulations for international students to address abuse of the system. Colleges and universities that do not submit compliance reports may face suspensions from accepting international students for up to a year.

The IRCC also performs additional checks on students who seem to be non-compliant with the conditions of their study permits, which are granted to those accepted at Canadian colleges or universities.

“Canada has seen an increase in exploitation of its temporary resident visas, including students. What was once a low-risk temporary resident programme is now being assessed as higher-risk given changes to the global migration context, including the growing number of conflicts and crises, increased abuse and fraud, and increased organized smuggling,” The Globe and Mail quoted Renée LeBlanc Proctor, spokesperson for Mr. Miller, as saying

“Canada is also aware of the reports of individuals crossing irregularly into the US from Canada, often with the help of facilitation or smuggling networks,” Proctor added.

In total, 49,676 international students enrolled in Canadian colleges and universities apparently failed to adhere to the terms of their visas and turn up to study, according to the report, citing IRCC figures. In addition, colleges and universities failed to report on the status of a further 23,514 international students – representing 3.3 per cent in the IRCC records.

“In broad terms this shows that at least 10 per cent of student visa holders are unaccounted for,” Lotin was quoted as saying.

“For the first time, we have definitive data. There are still questions about where all student visa holders are,” added Lotin.

Lotin highlighted a discrepancy between how Statistics Canada and the immigration department track international student numbers.

“Statistics Canada, which has its own methodology of counting population, indicates there were over one million valid student holders in April. But the IRCC data that looks at enrolment has a significantly smaller number of international students. This is a gap that suggests that an even larger number of students are not accounted for than the compliance data suggests,” Latin was quoted as saying.

“There is an urgent need for better and more transparent data,” he added.

Conservative immigration critic Tom Kmiec accused the government of mismanaging the immigration system.

Winnipeg immigration lawyer David Matas said the abuse of study permits is often perpetrated by foreign agents or consultants rather than the student applicants themselves.

“One change, which would stand against this sort of fraud, is to allow applicants to use the services of only Canadian lawyers and consultants, both of whom are regulated,” he was quoted as saying.

Source: HTTPs://www.firstpost.com/world/canada-saw-50000-no-show-international-students-indians-top-table-with-19582-report-13853174.html

Canada saw 50,000 ‘no-show’ international students, Indians top table with 19,582: Report

Close to 50,000 international students who received study permits for Canada were reported as “no-shows” at their designated colleges and universities, with Indian nationals making up the largest group at 19,582, according to a report, citing government figures for two months last spring

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