Nigerians affected as Canadian province announces two-year ban on international students

A Canadian province, British Columbia, has banned tertiary institutions from admitting Nigerians and international students for the next two years.

This action aligns with the Canadian government’s broader plan to implement a national cap to curb the influx of international students.

The decision was recently communicated by Federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller, who highlighted the aim of reducing the issuance of new student visas by 35 percent for the current year.

The move is part of an effort to address the “exploitative practices” within the education system.

David Eby, the Premier of British Columbia, emphasised the importance of addressing issues within the international education system, recognising its pivotal role in the province’s social and economic framework.

“There are a wide array of private institutions, big and small, in our province, but regardless of the institution’s size, our expectations of the level of quality are the same.

“There are institutions that are not meeting our expectations right now,” he said.

It gathered that in the first half of 2023, nearly 18,000 study permits were granted to Nigerians in Canada, surpassing all other countries except India.

The data which is from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) showed that India (175,021), Nigeria (43,482) the Philippines (21,902), China (14,975) and Nepal (12,776) were among the top five source countries of new international students coming to Canada in the first six months of 2023.

Meanwhile, Canada has increased cost of living Proof of Funds requirements for study permit applicants from other countries including Nigeria by 106.4 percent to $20,635.

This new policy apply to new study permit applications received on/after January 1, 2024.