Asylum applications from international students increased in 2023, data shows – National
The number of international students apply for asylum in Canada appeared to rise dramatically in 2023, according to government figures – and is on track to be even higher this year.
It comes after Immigration Minister Marc Miller called the increase an “alarming trend.”
Data provided to Global News by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada shows a distribution of asylum applications from people with study permits from 2018 to 2023.
In 2023, 13,075 students with study permits applied for asylum. This number was more than double the 5,290 recorded in 2022.
In 2018, this number stood at 2,230. This number increased to 4,040 in 2019, before falling again to 3,065 in 2020, then rising slightly to 3,425 in 2021.
Last week on The West Block, Miller told Mercedes Stephenson that these applicants use the international student program as a “back door into Canada,” often to reduce their tuition fees. Miller called on postsecondary institutions to improve their selection and monitoring practices.
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“There are a growing number of them, Mercedes, and it’s frankly quite alarming given the number of people who come to this country, in theory, with the adequate financial capacity to live and pay their tuition fees, which are four times higher than what Canadians pay,” said the minister.
This year, the highest number of applications occurred in August, with 1,785 applicants on student visas or study permit extensions seeking refugee status in Canada.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday that Canada has a moral obligation to offer asylum to those fleeing violence and persecution, but to ensure the system is not misused.
“Our ability to do that means we need to be able to correctly identify who needs help most, who is there as a genuine asylum seeker…Other people using the asylum route as shortcut to obtaining permanent residence or Canadian citizenship are something. against which we must continue to fight,” Trudeau told reporters at the United Nations.
An IRCC spokesperson told Global News in a statement that the growing number of conflicts and crises have led to an increase in asylum applications and that applications fluctuate each month for various reasons.
“Under the law, anyone seeking asylum in Canada is entitled to fair treatment,” the spokesperson wrote. “However, there is no guarantee that an applicant will be allowed to remain in Canada. Each asylum application is decided individually, based on the evidence and arguments presented, and in compliance with Canadian immigration laws.
Miller told Global News his department was studying the issue of international students filing for asylum and suggested further reforms to the program were being explored.
—with files from Uday Rana, Marc-André Cossette and Mercedes Stephenson of Global News
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
