Hi there!! How are you doing? 皆さんこんにちは！

今日もバンクーバーは朝から雨になっています。今週は比較的気温の高めの日が続いていましたので、先週の大雪で積もっていた雪は全て溶けた感じです。

さて先日カナダ移民局より学生ビザの規定変更に関する重大ニュースが発表され、多くの方が動揺されているかと思います。質問をお受けすることも多いのですが、まだ不明点も多くはっきりとしたお答えはできかねる状況です。

Canada to stabilize growth and decrease number of new international student permits issued to approximately 360,000 for 2024

ということでカナダ政府はカナダへの留学生の受け入れの制限を発表しています。以下が本日発表になっている内容です。　（引用：canada.ca)

January 22, 2024—Ottawa

International students enrich our communities and are a critical part of Canada’s social, cultural and economic fabric. In recent years, the integrity of the international student system has been threatened. Some institutions have significantly increased their intakes to drive revenues, and more students have been arriving in Canada without the proper supports they need to succeed. Rapid increases in the number of international students arriving in Canada also puts pressure on housing, health care and other services. As we work to better protect international students from bad actors and support sustainable population growth in Canada, the government is moving forward with measures to stabilize the number of international students in Canada.

The Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship announced today that the Government of Canada will set an intake cap on international student permit applications to stabilize new growth for a period of two years. For 2024, the cap is expected to result in approximately 360,000 approved study permits, a decrease of 35% from 2023. In the spirit of fairness, individual provincial and territorial caps have been established, weighted by population, which will result in much more significant decreases in provinces where the international student population has seen the most unsustainable growth. Study permit renewals will not be impacted. Those pursuing master’s and doctoral degrees, and elementary and secondary education are not included in the cap. Current study permit holders will not be affected.

IRCC will allocate a portion of the cap to each province and territory, who will then distribute the allocation among their designated learning institutions. To implement the cap, as of January 22, 2024, every study permit application submitted to IRCC will also require an attestation letter from a province or territory. Provinces and territories are expected to establish a process for issuing attestation letters to students by no later than March 31, 2024.

These temporary measures will be in place for two years, and the number of new study permit applications that will be accepted in 2025 will be re-assessed at the end of this year. During this period, the Government of Canada will continue to work with provinces and territories, designated learning institutions and national education stakeholders on developing a sustainable path forward for international students, including finalizing a recognized institution framework, determining long-term sustainable levels of international students and ensuring post-secondary institutions are able to provide adequate levels of student housing.

In order to better align the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program, we are changing the eligibility criteria:

• Starting September 1, 2024, international students who begin a study program that is part of a curriculum licensing arrangement will no longer be eligible for a post­graduation work permit upon graduation. Under curriculum licensing agreements, students physically attend a private college that has been licensed to deliver the curriculum of an associated public college. These programs have seen significant growth in attracting international students in recent years, though they have less oversight than public colleges and they act as a loophole with regards to post-graduation work permit eligibility.
• Graduates of master’s and other short graduate-level programs will soon be eligible to apply for a 3-year work permit. Under current criteria, the length of a post­graduation work permit is based solely on the length of an individual’s study program, hindering master’s graduates by limiting the amount of time they have to gain work experience and potentially transition to permanent residence.

In the weeks ahead, open work permits will only be available to spouses of international students in master’s and doctoral programs. The spouses of international students in other levels of study, including undergraduate and college programs, will no longer be eligible.

The important measures announced today complement other recently announced reforms to the International Student Program. Taken together, they aim to ensure genuine students receive the support they require and have the resources they need for an enriching study experience in Canada, while at the same time stabilizing the overall number of students arriving and alleviating pressures on housing, health care and other services in Canada.

現時点でのカナダ学生ビザの変更点など

現時点で以下のことが発表されています。

・35％学生ビザの発行数を減らす (2年間）
・各州によって制限を定める – 具体的な制限内容は発表されておらず不明
・語学留学や短大、専門学校、大学で履修の場合、留学を希望する州、もしくは準州からのAttestation letterが必要（不要なケースは以下を参照してください）
・Attestation letter発行にあたるシステムや必要書類などは、現在発表されておらず不明
・3月末までに、詳しい制限内容やシステム等が発表される予定
・現地時間2024年1月22日以降に申請された学生ビザについては、一旦白紙（Return)される

Attestation letterが不要な留学（今まで通りの学生ビザ申請）

a minor child applying to study in a primary or secondary school
未成年のGrade12までの留学（現地小・中・高）

a student applying for a Masters, PhD or other post-graduate program

a student applying to extend their study permit

まとめ

2024年1月22日、カナダ移民局が正式に、向こう2年間の学生ビザの発給枠の上限を設定して学生ビザの発給制限をする旨を発表しました。また学生ビザを申請する際には、各州や準州が発行する証明書が必要になります。

ポストグラデュエーション（ポスグラ）ビザの規定も変更になります。

６ヶ月以内のカナダ語学留学に関しては、カナダ入国に必要になるeTAを取得すれば問題ないですし、カナダワーキングホリデーのビザも特に規制を受けるということはありません。

現在憶測で色んなことが書かれていますが、あくまでも憶測です。現時点ではカナダ移民局からは今後の学生ビザの方針が発表されているだけですので、詳しい情報が出るのを待ちましょう。どのような制限が語学学校や私立のカレッジにかかるのかは、今のところカナダ移民局から発表はされていません。

ただし学生ビザの許可に、時間を要するのは覚悟したほうが良いかもしれません。カナダ学生ビザを申請する際には十分余裕を持って申請するようにしてください。