A report released in January 2025 revealed that nearly 50,000 international students failed to register at their designated schools after arriving in Canada in March and April of the same year.

Data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) showed that these non-enrolled students accounted for 6.9 percent of the 717,539 international students being monitored at the time.

According to the report, 20,000 students from India did not attend their designated schools in 2023, while Nigeria accounted for 3,902 unregistered students. 2,712 students from Ghana were also among those missing from enrollment records.

On the other hand, 89.8 percent of international students (644,349) were confirmed as enrolled, while the status of 23,514 students remained unrecorded.

Reports indicate that some of these students are working in low-paying jobs to sustain themselves, others have fallen victim to fraudulent educational institutions and some others use Canadian study permits as a gateway to cross the border illegally into the United States.

To address the misuse of study permits, Immigration Minister Marc Miller introduced stricter regulations in November 2023 with these measures including the potential suspension of colleges and universities that fail to report on student compliance for up to a year.

IRCC has since strengthened monitoring efforts to detect non-compliant students and ensure institutions meet reporting requirements.

According to Renée LeBlanc Proctor, a spokesperson for Minister Miller, Canada is increasingly aware of the exploitation of temporary resident visas, particularly student permits.

She emphasised that organized smuggling networks and global migration crises have exacerbated the situation, necessitating stronger oversight. (Vanguard)