By Mata Press Service

Canada, long known for its welcoming stance on immigration, is experiencing a significant shift in its approach to newcomers.

As the federal election looms on the horizon, immigration has emerged as a contentious issue, prompting the government to implement measures to curb the influx of visitors, temporary foreign workers, permanent residents and international students.

Recent data paints a stark picture of this changing landscape. The ratio of rejected visitor visa applications to approvals has reached unprecedented levels, surpassing even those seen during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a notable departure from previous trends, immigration authorities denied more visa applications than they approved in January, February, May, and June of 2024.

This shift in policy is not limited to visitor visas.

The issuance of study and work permits has also seen a decline. July 2024 witnessed a record-breaking number of international visitors, including students, workers, and tourists, being denied entry to Canada—nearly 6,000 individuals, the highest figure recorded since at least January 2019.

With a federal election due within the next year, political leaders have sparred over immigration, with the Conservatives, who lead in the polls, accusing Trudeau's government of letting in too many people too quickly.

As Canada approaches a federal election within the next year, immigration has become a focal point of political debate.

The Conservative Party, currently enjoying a lead in the polls, has launched sharp criticism against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal government. They argue that the current administration has implemented an overly permissive immigration policy, allowing an excessive number of newcomers to enter the country at an unprecedented pace.

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has been particularly vocal in his opposition, describing the Liberal government's approach as "radical and uncontrolled" and claiming it is "ruining our immigration system."

He contends that Trudeau's policies have led to population growth that far outpaces housing development, exacerbating existing challenges in the country.

In response, Trudeau and his Immigration Minister, Marc Miller, have defended their stance on high immigration levels, asserting that it is crucial for Canada's economic development.

However, they have also acknowledged that the sheer volume of newcomers and inadequate federal and provincial infrastructure investment has created significant challenges.

New data from the non-profit Angus Reid Institute finds Canadians' immigration concerns have risen four-fold over the last two years.

Statistics Canada's latest labor force survey also reveals a troubling trend for recent immigrants and students.

Despite a general rise in average hourly wages, recent immigrants—those who have landed in Canada in the last five years—have not seen wage increases.

In fact, their wages decreased by 1.3% year-over-year, contrasting sharply with a 6.3% wage increase for more established immigrants and a 6% rise for Canadian-born workers.

Students, too, faced a challenging job market this summer. Their unemployment rate soared to 16.7%, the highest level since summer 2012, excluding the pandemic year of 2020. Black, Chinese, and South Asian students were particularly hard hit, with Black students experiencing the highest unemployment rate of 29.5%, a significant increase from the previous year.

Meanwhile, a group representing almost 100 of Canada's universities is warning the impact of the federal government's cap on international students will be "far greater" than what Ottawa aimed for.

Gabriel Miller, president of Universities Canada, told Global News when the schools officially finish counting how many students have arrived and enrolled, there will be at least a 45 percent drop in international students.

The final tally will be reported in October.

"There's every possibility that it's going to be even worse than we fear," he said in an interview. "But it's important to note that we're already in territory that no one anticipated and that needs to set off a big alarm bell in Ottawa that we need to start turning this around right away.

The national cap was laid out in January by Immigration Minister Marc Miller, who at the time said would reduce the intake by 35 percent over the next two years, adding the measures were temporary.

The minister said the cap was expected to result in approximately 364,000 approved study permits in 2024. That number has since been revised with about 292,000 approved permits anticipated.

While Canada's universities could see at least a 45 percent drop, the group representing the country's colleges and institutes says they're anticipating a 54 percent decline.

"It's quite clear that there's been a very significant and substantial decrease in enrolment across the country," Michael McDonald, director of government relations for Colleges and Institutes Canada, told Global News.

Canada will also impose strict regulations on its Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) program, making it more difficult for businesses to hire low-wage workers abroad.

Charanjit Kaur, a Toronto-based immigration consultant, said: "The new measures, set to take effect on September 26, 2024, include rejecting applications for low-wage TFWs in regions with unemployment rates of 6% or higher, reducing the maximum percentage of TFWs in a company's workforce from 20% to 10%, and limiting low-wage TFW contracts to one year instead of two."

The changes exempt specific sectors, including agriculture, food processing, construction and healthcare.

With changes from earlier this year, the new measures are expected to reduce the number of temporary foreign workers by about 65,000.

As of August 28, temporary residents in Canada on a visitor visa are also no longer permitted to apply for a job-supported work permit from within Canada.