SAHARA REPORTERS
Nigeria has been ranked third among 10 countries with high non-compliance students who do not report to Canadian colleges and universities after being given study permit or comply with their study permit.
Canada reported that nearly 50,000 international students who were granted study permits to pursue higher education in Canada were marked as “no-shows” by the colleges and universities they were supposed to attend, according to government data from spring 2024.
This represents 6.9% of all international students tracked by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), shedding light on a concerning trend that has sparked national debates about the effectiveness of Canada’s international student compliance system, according to a report by Immigration News Canada.
In March and April 2024, Canadian institutions submitted compliance reports to IRCC, revealing that tens of thousands of international students failed to comply with the terms of their study permits.
Furthermore, the status of 23,514 students—3.3% of the total—remains unreported, raising questions about accountability within the system.
Introduced in 2014, the International Student Compliance Regime mandates that designated learning institutions report biannually on whether international students are enrolled and attending classes.
The system aims to identify non-compliant students and flag institutions with questionable practices.
Government data shows that students from countries including India, China, Nigeria, Ghana, Iran, Democratic Republic of Congo, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Rwanda and Philippines, exhibited notably higher non-compliance rates.
India, for example, had the largest number of non-compliant students, with 19,582 no-shows, followed by China with 4,279 no-shows and Nigeria with 3,902 no-shows.
In addition, countries like Rwanda and Ghana had non-compliance rates of 48.1% and 31.1%, respectively, raising concerns about the integrity of study permit applications from these regions.
Experts point to various factors contributing to the non-compliance issue including Illegal U.S. Border Crossings as the Immigration stated that reports from Indian authorities suggest some students may use Canadian study permits to enter Canada with the intent of crossing the border illegally into the United States.
IRCC has also ramped up monitoring efforts to identify non-compliant students and ensure that institutions adhere to reporting requirements.
Renée LeBlanc Proctor, a spokesperson for Minister Miller, emphasized: “Canada is aware of increased exploitation of temporary resident visas, including study permits. This has escalated due to organized smuggling networks and global migration crises.”
While Statistics Canada estimates there are over one million valid study permit holders in Canada, IRCC reports a far lower number—644,349 compliant students.
Canada continues to face the challenge of maintaining its reputation as a global education destination while ensuring the integrity of its immigration system.
THIS ARTICLE ORIGINALLY APPEARED IN SAHARA REPORTERS
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