Ottawa, Canada — Canada’s Immigration Minister, Marc Miller, recently raised alarms about the increasing number of international students claiming asylum upon arriving in the country. The trend has sparked concerns within the Canadian government and the immigration community as more students seek refuge status instead of following the conventional student visa process.
Canada is known for its inclusive and welcoming approach to refugees and immigrants. The rise in student asylum claims could pose challenges to the integrity of the immigration system.
The trend has gained momentum over the past year, with reports showing a sharp increase in asylum applications from international students.
Recent data from the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) shows that the number of student asylum claims has grown by 25% compared to the previous year.
It is reported by Immigration Minister- Marc Miller that there is a third-party involvement in counseling students that may provide them with false information.
He also warned licensed immigration consultants that if they were involved in the misinterpretation, it would violate their professional code of conduct.
The figures that were reported were of 13,660 international students seeking asylum till September 30. Last year, the figure was around 12,000, and in 2018, it was just 1810.
While international students remain an essential part of the Canadian educational ecosystem, concerns are growing about the increasing complexity of the asylum process, with some arguing that it could strain resources and impact the overall efficiency of Canada’s immigration system.
How Canada manages this issue will be critical not only to the future of international education but also to its global image as a compassionate and fair immigration destination.
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