Could a cap on grad students from abroad hurt more than help?

TORONTO — Experts are raising questions about the need for the federal government’s planned cap on international graduate students, and suggesting it may prompt some top talent to look elsewhere.

Students attending master’s, doctoral and postdoctoral courses were previously exempt from the overall cap on international students that Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced in January but they are now included in a further reduction of student visas he announced this week.

Miller’s office says those students are now being included so schools won’t try to avoid the cap by creating “fake programs,” and 12 per cent of permits issued will be reserved for graduate students in line with their historical share of the student population.

Internal estimates shared by U15 Canada, an association of 15 public research universities, suggest current levels of graduate students are already below the new cap — and they aren’t part of the ballooning population of temporary residents Ottawa is trying to address.

CEO Chad Gaffield says if the best and brightest get the impression that Canada is no longer welcoming, there could be major collateral damage for Canadian schools, and for research and innovation writ large.

Immigration lawyer Barbara Jo Caruso says the government needs to be seen to be doing something, but the caps create major uncertainty and could have an impact on Canada’s brand.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 20, 2024.

The Canadian Press