July 21, 2025
RED FM News Desk
Canada’s Auditor General will launch a formal review of the country’s fast-growing international student program. The program has expanded significantly in recent years, leading to growing concerns that Canada was not prepared to manage such rapid growth.
A report from this audit is expected to be tabled in Parliament in 2026. For now, the Office of the Auditor General has stated that the audit is still in its planning stages, and further details on its scope or timeline will be shared later.
Several critics, especially from the Conservative Party, argue that the surge in international student arrivals has contributed to rising youth unemployment and worsened Canada’s housing crisis.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre recently suggested that, for the next few years, more people should be leaving Canada than entering. While he did not specifically mention international students, he blamed temporary foreign workers for reduced job opportunities for Canadian youth. He has also called for strict caps on immigration levels.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has indicated, in a letter to his ministers, that immigration numbers should return to “sustainable levels.”
Another growing concern is that many international students are applying for asylum in hopes of gaining permanent residency—rather than through standard immigration streams. In 2024, international students filed a record 20,245 asylum claims, which is six times more than in 2019. So far in 2025, 5,500 claims have already been submitted in just the first three months—a 22% increase compared to the same period last year.
In response, the federal Liberal government implemented a cap on study permits in late 2024 and plans to review future student intake during the summer of 2025.
This cap has led to financial strain for many colleges and universities, some of which have already imposed hiring freezes or laid off staff due to funding shortfalls.
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