A critical flaw has been revealed within Canada’s international student program, exposing a widening gap between oversight and a surging influx of applicants. The nation’s Auditor General has delivered a stark assessment: the immigration department is struggling to keep pace with the sheer volume of potential violations, leaving a system vulnerable to abuse and raising serious questions about border security.
In 2023 and 2024 alone, approximately 150,000 student visa holders were flagged for potential non-compliance with their study permit terms. The most common issue? Students simply weren’t attending the institutions that had accepted them, raising concerns about their true purpose for being in the country. This isn’t a minor oversight; it’s a potential breach of trust and a strain on resources.
Despite the massive number of flagged cases, a shockingly small fraction – around 4,000 – were actually investigated. Worse still, over half of those investigations stalled, ending inconclusively because students failed to respond to inquiries from immigration officials. Each investigation, officials admit, can take up to six months to reach this dead end.
The department acknowledges a severe limitation: a constrained budget that allows for only about 2,000 investigations annually, a situation projected to continue until 2028. This budgetary bottleneck effectively means the vast majority of potential violations will go unchecked, creating a significant risk to the integrity of the program.
The results of the investigations conducted are equally troubling. While most investigated students were found to be legitimately enrolled, a concerning number – 50 – were confirmed to be non-compliant. However, an even larger number, 800, involved applicants who used fraudulent documents or misrepresented information during their initial applications, and were never followed up on.
This inaction is particularly alarming because it leaves the department blind to potential future risks. A staggering 92 percent of these individuals subsequently applied for other forms of Canadian immigration, with 456 receiving approval. The lack of a warning flag on their record allowed them to slip through the cracks, potentially compromising the system.
The audit also revealed a disturbing lack of data regarding students who simply overstay their visas. Of the 549,000 people with expiring study permits in 2024, nearly 40,000 were ordered to leave Canada. Yet, border services confirmed that only 16,000 actually departed, leaving a significant number unaccounted for.
To address this critical gap, the Auditor General recommends sharing a list of students with expired permits – who haven’t applied for other immigration status – with the Canada Border Services Agency. This would allow for improved tracking of departures and a more accurate understanding of who remains in the country.
While the Immigration Minister has publicly accepted the Auditor General’s recommendations, she also emphasized that the report reflects an “early phase” of ongoing reforms. The government’s broader plan aims to reduce the number of temporary immigrants, including international students, to less than five percent of the population by 2027.
Interestingly, the number of student visa approvals has already begun to plummet, falling far below projected targets. In 2024, only 150,000 visas were approved, compared to an anticipated 349,000 – a dramatic 41 percent shortfall. This trend continued into 2025, with approvals down 38 percent.
The immigration department admits it’s unsure why approval rates are declining, despite investigating potential causes like stricter verification rules and increased financial requirements. The drop is widespread, affecting all provinces except Quebec, with reductions exceeding 59 percent in many regions.
The Minister acknowledges that federal policies aren’t the sole driver of these numbers, pointing to factors like affordability, housing pressures, and individual student choices. However, the audit’s findings underscore a fundamental challenge: ensuring the integrity of the international student program and safeguarding Canada’s borders in the face of growing demand and limited resources.
