News Release: Senators Urge Governments to Better Manage Canada’s International Student Program
September 20, 2023 – Ottawa – Canada must come to terms with a complex set of integrity challenges to its international student program, according to a newly released report by, The Honourable Sabi Marwah, The Honourable Ratna Omidvar, The Honourable Yuen Pau Woo and The Honourable Hassan Yussuff. “Strengthening the Integrity of Canada’s International Student Program” examines the goals and benefits of the program and provides concrete recommendations to federal, provincial and territorial governments on resolving the integrity challenges that are flagged in the report.
International students are major assets to Canada — economically, socially, and culturally. The growth of the international student population is a testament to Canada’s strong global brand, and the country stands to enjoy significant benefits from continued growth. At the same time, Canada has been a victim of its own success and needs to better manage its international student program due to abuse and exploitation of students and to maintain the program’s integrity to benefit Canada.
“The International Student Program has been a victim of its own success. International students have a strong desire to come to Canada, however they face many challenges including high tuition fees and abuse. In many cases they do not receive the support they need to overcome these difficulties. They are also being blamed for the many current economic and social challenges facing Canada, but they are the victims and not the perpetrators. We need to change the program to ensure it works for Canada and the students that contribute so much to our country,” said Senator Ratna Omidvar.
Responsibility for the multifold challenges in Canada’s international student program is shared among federal, provincial, and territorial governments, education consultants, landlords, employers, and designated learning institutions. The challenges range from heavy reliance of designated learning institutions charging high tuition fees to international students in order to cover operational expenses, to the regulation of education agents and private educational institutions, and the problem of providing adequate housing and employment for international students.
“The integrity problems of the International Student Program are rooted in the fiscal challenges of Canada’s post-secondary sector, which in turn affect broader issues such as neglect or abuse of students, unaffordable housing, and a backlash against the program itself. The fact that responsibility for these problems rests with multiple levels of government and with different private actors is not a reason to avoid addressing them – urgently,” said Senator Yuen-Pau Woo.
To help strengthen the integrity of Canada’s international student program, the discussion paper recommends areas of action that the federal, provincial and territorial governments could take including: reviewing the financial stability of designated learning institutions, introducing greater oversight on institutions including private colleges, addressing the housing supply for international students and better informing international students about their legal rights and recourse available to them.
Specifically federal areas of action to promote a healthier international student program include, strengthening the Letters of Admission verification process to prevent fraud, and reforming both the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations to better regulate the conduct of education agents.
“Standards are critical to ensuring integrity. Without them you cannot have trust and confidence the International Student Program is working in the best interests of Canada and the students who come from abroad in good faith to study here. The federal government must immediately strengthen measures to prevent abuse and exploitation of these students, which is unacceptable for a country like Canada to tolerate”, said Senator Hassan Yussuff.
It is a crucial time to address Canada’s international student program’s integrity issues so we can continue to enjoy the benefits of this program for decades to come. It is also imperative to maintain public confidence in Canada of our immigration system, which serves as the foundation for our ability as a nation to continue to welcome and settle large numbers of permanent and temporary residents.
Read the full report – English
Contact information
Paul Faucette
Office of the Honourable Ratna Omidvar
Paul.Faucette@sen.parl.gc.ca or Ratna.Omidvar@sen.parl.gc.ca
Cell: 613-762-2887
Office: 613-943-4330
Dylan Odd
Office of the Honourable Yuen-Pau Woo
Dylan.odd@sen.parl.gc.ca
Office: 613-995-9244
Cell: 613-219-0905
Joel Bowen
Office of the Honourable Senator Hassan Yussuff
joel2.bowen@sen.parl.gc.ca
Cell: 343-550-3558
Office: 613-944-1108