QUESTION PERIOD — Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
Study Permit Processing Backlog
September 26, 2024
Senator Gold, the departmental plan of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, or IRCC, states that they will adopt a recognized institutions framework with qualifying post-secondary designated learning institutions, or DLIs. They also state that institutions that achieve higher standards will benefit from faster processing of study permits.
It has been brought to my attention that some of the DLIs in New Brunswick have indeed followed the rules, and yet their chosen international students did not receive their study permits prior to the start of the school year. This resulted in losing these qualified students.
In light of the minister’s recent announcements regarding decreasing study permits, how can we guarantee that these institutions can count on the system to process the permits in a timely manner so they can use their already reduced allotments?
Thank you for your question. Indeed, as a former university administrator, I know very well the challenges that universities are facing, both budgetary — and the role that international student play there — and with respect to the uncertainty that the changes that have been introduced in response to necessary adjustments in Canada are causing to those institutions. I’m not familiar with the specifics of the cases that you mentioned.
I know that the minister is working with his counterparts seriously and on an ongoing basis. I will raise this issue with the minister at the first opportunity.
Thank you, Senator Gold. These designated learning institutions count on filling their quotas not only for the economic reasons that you referred to but for diversifying the workforce and supporting labour market needs in New Brunswick and across the country. It seems that they are being unfairly penalized for a lack of efficiency in the processing system. What steps will the government take to improve this?
Thank you for your question. Work is ongoing but continues to be required, and more needs to be done to improve the efficiency of the processing in this area, and frankly with respect to immigration more generally, as colleagues in this chamber will know from issues that have been raised here before. I’ll certainly raise this issue again with the minister.
