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Original article: https://theconversation.com/broken-promises-are-why-some-international-students-turn-to-seeking-asylum-246101
Canada faces a major contradiction in its immigration policies. Thousands of international students, once celebrated as “ideal immigrants,” are now turning to the asylum system. As a migration policy researcher and former international student, I have watched this predicament unfold with growing concern.
Federal immigration data reveal a surge in asylum claims by international students. The claims rose from 1,810 in 2018 to nearly 12,000 in 2023, with another 13,660 filed in the first nine months of 2024.
There are multiple reasons why international students in Canada may end up seeking asylum. Some experts suggest heightened costs of living have forced some students to drop out of school, while others point to the influence of immigration consultants or others advising them to apply for asylum.
As Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) acknowledged in a statement in September 2024, some “temporary residents come to Canada as genuine visitors, students or workers, and then make an asylum claim because of developments in their country of origin.”
While the stories behind individual asylum claims remain unclear, research on international student integration demonstrates how sudden policy shifts can force students to seek alternative paths to remain in the host country, even through systems not designed for their circumstances.
Canada’s abruptly shifting policies have exposed a breach of trust at the heart of Canada’s immigration system. The rise in asylum claims reflects Canada’s systemic de-prioritization of support for those it actively encouraged to invest in futures here.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
Decades-long policy
For decades, Canada has cultivated an environment where transitioning from study permits to permanent residency felt achievable. This was not merely implied, it was actively encouraged. As a result, students have invested savings, uprooted their lives, acquired jobs and built communities in Canada, only to find themselves facing an uncertain future.
This breach of trust highlights what is in effect an unwritten pact with international students. By encouraging them to invest in Canada as a gateway to permanent residency, the country created expectations it is now failing to fulfil.
How Canada built expectations
Canada’s immigration system has long positioned international students as ideal candidates for permanent residency. For decades, policies and public messaging have framed education in Canada as a pathway to a permanent future, encouraging students to see their time here as an investment in long-term settlement. This messaging has been echoed across government initiatives and public statements.
For instance, in 2021, then Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino declared: “Your status may be temporary, but but your contributions are lasting — we want you to stay.”
The comments were made as Canada rolled out a program to grant permanent residence to 90,000 recent international graduates and some temporary foreign workers.
Similarly, official documents like the 2024 IRCC Deputy Minister Transition Binder explicitly frame international students as a vital “pool of talent” for addressing demographic and economic needs.
This sentiment was also central to the International Education Strategy 2019–24, which described international students as “excellent candidates for permanent residency,” citing their Canadian education and work experience as key advantages.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Educational institutions reinforced this messaging. Colleges and universities marketed programs as pathways to permanency, persuading students to invest heavily in tuition and their futures in Canada.
Statistics supported this narrative: Global Affairs Canada valued international students’ contributions at $30.9 billion annually, including more than 360,000 jobs. High rates of successful transitions to permanent residency further validated the belief that education in Canada was the first step to building a life here.
The broken pact
In recent years, Canada has systematically dismantled the enabling environment it once cultivated. Tightened Post-Graduation Work Permit eligibility, rising financial requirements and the reduction in the temporary resident population have created significant barriers to permanent residence.
It would appear that the surge in asylum claims reflects the severe disruption faced by international students caused by these policy changes. Their lives have been derailed by a government that encouraged students to invest in Canada, only to shift the rules mid-course.
For many students, returning home is not an option — return is financially and personally untenable. International students invest years and significant resources in Canada. They have established budding careers and key relationships. They’ve built communities in Canada, and made substantial financial investments through international student fees.
A policy and moral failure
This issue is not merely a policy failure — it is a moral one. Canada’s unwritten pact with international students created a bond of trust. Breaking that trust jeopardizes not only the futures of thousands of people but also Canada’s reputation as a fair and welcoming destination.
The stakes are high. Canada faces pressing demographic challenges, including an aging population and labour shortages in key sectors like health care and skilled trades.
International students, already integrated into Canadian society, are essential to solving these problems. Alienating them undermines both economic goals and the moral credibility of Canada’s immigration system.
At a crossroads: From crisis to reform
Canada must decide whether to honour the commitments it made, explicitly and implicitly, to international students or to continue down a path of short-sighted policy shifts. Restoring trust and creating transparent, predictable pathways to permanent residency is essential.
Aligning Post-Graduation Work Permit durations with permanent residency application timelines is a critical first step. Standardizing processing times and tailoring immigration streams to meet labour market needs will provide needed stability. Above all, future reforms must be clear, consistent and aligned with the promises Canada has historically made.
It is time to honour the pact and rebuild the trust that international students placed in this country. The future of Canada’s immigration system depends on it.