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Institutions, not international students, are to blame for rising asylum claims
We should direct our attention to the real culprits: the predatory learning institutions that exploit these students. (Pexels Photo)
Immigration and Refugees Minister Marc Miller’s recently announced reduction in international student visas for 2024 and his subsequent statement about the “alarming trend” of an increasing number of these students applying for asylum in Canada highlight a troubling trend. But it is being framed through a dangerous lens.
While it’s true that asylum claims from international students are on the rise, the implication that students are abusing Canada’s asylum system does a disservice to both the students and the integrity of our immigration processes.
From 2018-24, only 33,985 students applied for asylum out of the 1,747,940 study permits approved – only 1.94 per cent.
Therefore, instead of casting suspicion over the entire cohort, we should direct our attention to the real culprits: the predatory learning institutions that exploit these students for profit and place them in a vulnerable situation.
While all universities and colleges in Canada face serious budget cuts, only some have resorted to increasing higher-paying international student enrolment as the solution.
Most international students interviewed by media say they came to Canada either having gone into debt to afford their tuition or having to work under the table or sleeping in their cars to make ends meet. There is a steep increase in the number of international students accessing food banks.
Given how financially challenging it is to live in Canada, many students face the possibility of dropping out of their programs. However, such a move comes with a significant amount of shame, given how much their families have often sacrificed for them to study in Canada.
As well, if a student drops out, their study permit will be invalidated and they must return home.
In their attempt to stay, these students are often advised by those they ask – whether immigration consultants, college advisors or other international students – to apply for asylum. That is one of the only pathways out of the precarious situation in which they have been placed by educational institutions and our poorly conceptualized government policies.
Therefore, instead of going after desperate international students, the federal government should be investigating the educational institutions responsible for creating this environment and should be introducing stricter oversight.
As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated recently: “All while under the watch of provinces, some colleges and universities are bringing in more international students than communities can accommodate, treating them as an expendable means to line their own pockets. That’s unacceptable, and it needs to change.”
While such a statement is important, it’s unclear what action the federal government is proposing to ensure these exploitative actors are held to account.
Trudeau’s statement also contrasts with Miller’s recent remarks directed at the students. “We see that it [applying for asylum] happens often within the first year of the time they’re here… often for less valid reasons than others, notably to drop the tuition fee down to Canadian rates. There’s some opportunism that’s being used and exploited there.”
That comment is completely without context. Most international students who apply for asylum will still need to pay international fees, which are often four to five times higher than domestic fees.
Only when their refugee claim is accepted and they earn refugee status do they have the ability to drop their tuition fees down to the domestic level. With the current backlog on asylum processing, it could be several years until these international students get a hearing.
While both Trudeau and Miller are happy to point the finger outward, the federal government itself bears some blame for “some opportunism.”
For example, during the pandemic, it specifically recruited international students. As then-minister Marco Mendicino said: “Our message to international students and graduates is simple: we don’t just want you to study here, we want you to stay here.”
Wide disparity among educational institutions
Among educational institutions, we know who the bad actors are. See table 1.
Of the 650 designated learning institutes, 301 did not have a single study permit holder apply for asylum, IRCC data shows.
On the other hand, 80 institutions had more than 100 asylum claims each, which account for 77 per cent of total asylum applications. Within that, there are 16 institutions with more than 500 asylum claims each and four institutions with more than 1,000 claims each.
The absolute number of asylum claims is high and the increase over the last seven years is steep, especially after 2022, when pandemic border restrictions were lifted. But the percentage of international students who applied for asylum is low.
However, there were 37 institutions where 10 per cent or more of study-permit holders applied for asylum. Here are the 11 where the percentage was higher than 30 per cent:
The high percentage of international students applying for asylum from these institutions could point to someone at the institution, or the institution itself, suggesting or assisting students with their applications.
Or the institution could be advertising to potential study-permit holders that applying for asylum once they arrive is a viable pathway to staying in Canada amid the changing policy environment.
Specifically, I found a handful of colleges where 100 per cent of their international students have claimed asylum in recent years.
In 2020, the Institute of Technology Development of Canada (ITD) had 10 study permits approved and 10 asylum claims made. In 2023, the Canadian Technology College had 10 study permits approved and 10 asylum claims made, while DEA Canadian College had five study permits approved and five asylum claims made.
More concerning is that while some institutions do not have a 100-per-cent asylum application rate among their study permit holders, their absolute numbers are high.
In 2024, CIMT College had 330 study permits approved and 280 asylum claims – an 85-per-cent rate.
The numbers are similar at the Canadian Career Education College, which had 265 study permits approved and 200 asylum claims made – a 75-per-cent rate. While it is unclear from the data what year the study-permit holders who applied for asylum got their study permits, the trend is worth examining.
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Moreover, in 2023, the number of institutions that had a high percentage of permit holders applying for asylum increased significantly. Only six institutions had more than a 10-per-cent rate in 2018, but that number rose to 37 institutions in 2024.
As a scholar who studies refugees and migration, it’s troubling to see the focus of the controversy being put on international students rather than on the institutions.
Let’s be clear: Many students applying for asylum aren’t doing so because it’s a backdoor into Canada. Many are being pushed into that position by institutions that have promised them a future and then left them to fend for themselves.
There is also the reality that many countries are ravaged by war, conflict and humanitarian crises, leading many international students to have a case for a well-founded fear of persecution if they return home.
The more we allow this narrative to fester, the more we risk undermining Canada’s historic reputation as a global leader in education and a welcoming place for newcomers.
In 1986, the people of Canada received the Nansen Refugee Award from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in recognition of their contribution to refugee protection when they welcomed 60,000 Indochinese refugees.
In 2015, Canada resettled more than 60,000 Syrian refugees – an extraordinary effort that was a combination of private sponsorship and government resettlement.
From 2022-24, Canada received more than one million applications for temporary residence from Ukrainians and almost 300,000 Ukrainians have arrived under an emergency scheme established for those fleeing the Russian invasion of their country.
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Most newcomers to Canada are seeking safety and are not trying to game the system. They trust the fairness and compassion of Canadian immigration policies.
Eroding that trust by conflating legitimate asylum seekers with those encouraged to claim asylum as a last resort only weakens the very system we should be protecting.
The solution here isn’t to create a moral panic about international students applying for asylum. It’s to hold the right people accountable.
In 2022, international students contributed $37.3 billion to Canada’s economy.
Smearing them with the suggestion that they are all here to exploit our asylum system is not only unfair, it’s short-sighted. We need to start looking at this issue through a more nuanced lens – one that acknowledges the bad actors and doesn’t vilify the 98 per cent of international students who did not apply for asylum.
In short, let’s stop focusing on the symptoms of the problem and start addressing the cause. By holding the right institutions accountable, we can ensure that Canada remains a place of opportunity for those who seek it – and that our asylum system continues to be a beacon of fairness and hope for those in need.
This article first appeared on Policy Options and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
