Over 355,000 Foreign Students Received Permanent Residency in Canada in Past 3 Years, Immigration Department Reveals

A file photo of students on a university campus. Students can apply for positions across Canada through the Federal Student Work Experience Program. (Spiroview Inc/Shutterstock)

Canada has granted permanent residency to more than 355,000 foreign students over the past three years, according to recent disclosures by the Department of Immigration.

These students are part of a larger group of over 627,000 former temporary residents who obtained permanent residency during the same period, spanning from 2021 to 2023, as first reported by Blacklock’s Reporter. These numbers coincide with the highest federal immigration quotas in Canadian history.

The Department of Immigration revealed that during the pandemic lockdowns, when immigration numbers dwindled, there was an increased focus on processing permanent residency applications for foreigners already in Canada.

In 2020, the number of new immigrants admitted into the country was 184,370, which is less than half of the current quota. The department noted that in 2021, former temporary residents constituted about 66 percent of all admissions due to travel restrictions and border closures.

In the following years, the rate of transition of temporary residents to permanent residents was 40 percent in 2022 and 45 percent in 2023.

The current Immigration Levels Plan set by cabinet aims for quotas of 485,000 people in the current year and 500,000 by 2025. However, internal research conducted by the immigration department in 2023 indicates that many Canadians view these quotas as excessively high.

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This sentiment is rooted in concerns about community readiness to accommodate the influx of new immigrants, particularly regarding housing shortages, health care, and education systems.

The 2023 Annual Tracking Qualitative Research by the department highlighted that while most participants see new immigrants positively, contributing to cultural diversity and community enrichment, there are significant worries about the practical aspects of welcoming half a million immigrants annually. Key issues identified include the need for more support in finding housing and concerns about current infrastructure strains.

“Participants said their communities need to plan for accommodating more immigration and more permanent residents,” said the report. “They pointed to a variety of things they saw around them today that they felt were not working well and need to be addressed including housing shortages.”

Participants in focus groups expressed views that the rapid pace of immigration is overwhelming existing resources, pointing to the housing crisis, stress on educational and health systems, and the visible impact of homelessness. The sentiment was that Canada needs to address its internal challenges before extending its capacity to welcome new immigrants.

“It is too much too fast,” researchers quoted one focus group participant. “We’re in this housing crisis,” said another. “The education system and health system are already under a great deal of stress,” said a third.

This research was compiled from 18 focus groups conducted nationwide. The Quorus Consulting Group was commissioned by the immigration department for this study, which cost $119,723.