Foreign student asylum claims hit record high in 2024, set to grow in 2025
Global News
The claims are rising, even as Ottawa cuts the number of study permits it issues, with Prime Minister Mark Carney pledging to return Canadian immigration to 'sustainable levels.'
International students filed a record 20,245 asylum claims last year, with 2025 on track to surpass that number, according to federal immigration data obtained by Global News.
The claims are rising, even as Ottawa cuts the number of study permits it issues, with Prime Minister Mark Carney pledging like his predecessor Justin Trudeau to return Canadian immigration to “sustainable levels.”
The newly released figures also suggest that 2025 could see an even greater number of claims by foreign students. In the first three months of the year, international students filed 5,500 asylum claims, a 22 per cent increase from the same period last year.
The data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada show the number of international students seeking asylum last year was nearly double the 2023 figures and six times higher than in 2019.
Immigration lawyers say the numbers will keep trending upwards, as the federal government restricts previously available pathways to permanent residence, and as the backlog for adjudicating cases continues to balloon.
“The government has closed a lot of doors for international students to apply for permanent residence through regular streams,” said Toronto-based immigration and refugee lawyer Chantal Desloges.
“As a result, it’s funneling people to look for other solutions.”
During his first news conference as prime minister, Carney repeated his pledge to cap the total number of temporary workers and international students to less than five per cent of the Canadian population by the end of 2027, down from seven per cent.
Tensions flared as CAQ leadership rivals clashed over Quebec’s “third link” project in the first debate to replace Premier François Legault.
Toronto police have charged a 60-year-old man with second-degree murder in connection with the death of Xian Wei Shao, whose remains were discovered in a north end home last week.
Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne says the government has found ways to cut spending by $60 billion but cautions that published spending cuts require important context.
Three Canadians from Quebec who were stranded in the Persian Gulf since Feb. 28 have returned home following a coordinated repatriation effort.
Federal departments announced that they plan to cut more than 12,000 jobs over three years as part of the Carney government’s spending review plan.
Canada’s Integrated Threat Assessment Centre says the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran has heightened an already present threat against Jewish Canadians and public officials.
Edward Warner, his wife Tania and his seven-year-old step-daughter Ayla were coming back from a friend's baby shower on Saturday when they went through an ICE checkpoint in Sarita.
A fire chief from a village that battled flames during Saskatchewan's destructive wildfire season last year says the province's latest budget does not provide enough funding.
Manitoba’s upcoming budget will include more child care funding and a smaller deficit, as the NDP government aims to balance finances by 2027.
A member of the Royal Canadian Air Force in Winnipeg has just been crowned the World's Strongest Firefighter, outlifting athletes from around the world.
Muslims across Canada are celebrating Eid al-Fitr while some reflect on conflict affecting loved ones abroad, as leaders highlight unity, charity and renewal.
The Iran war has raised the price of crude oil beyond US$110 per barrel in international markets, spurring affordability concerns in Canada and around the world.
The statement from Global Affairs Canada comes a day after U.S. intelligence leaders unanimously testified that reports denying foreign involvement should be retracted.