Canada cracks down on foreign workers, international students & tourists with record rejections

Canada is rejecting foreign workers, international students, and tourists at an all-time high. In 2024, immigration officials denied 2.35 million temporary resident applications, accounting for 50% of all submissions, a significant increase from 1.8 million rejections (35%) in the previous year, according to data obtained by the Toronto Star.

Soaring rejection rates

Visitor visas faced the harshest scrutiny, with 54% of applicants denied, up from 40% in 2023. Student permit rejections surged to 52%, a dramatic increase from 38% the previous year. Work permits, while slightly improved, still saw 22% of applicants turned away.

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This surge in rejections highlights Canada's increasingly strict immigration policies as the federal government addresses growing public concerns about escalating living costs and a housing crisis. Ottawa has already reduced its target for new permanent residents by 20% for 2025-2027, aiming for 395,000 new arrivals in 2025, down from earlier projections.


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Migrants in legal limbo

Despite aggressive rejection policies, many temporary residents are finding ways to stay. Applications for visitor records, which extend a migrant’s legal stay without granting work or study rights, have nearly doubled from 196,965 in 2019 to 389,254 in 2024. While 95% of these applications were approved, the backlog is growing—with current processing times stretching to 119 days.

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The crackdown comes amid a broader global decline in student enrollments. Canada’s student visa applications fell 46% in 2024, dropping to 469,000 from 868,000 in 2023. Other major destinations like Australia (down 36%), the UK (down 16%), and the US (down 11%) are seeing similar slumps.

(With TOI inputs)