While the Trudeau government begins to curb the number of study permits it issues, the number of international students filing asylum claims is skyrocketing, many of which are suspected to have been filed on fraudulent grounds.
Nearly 14,000 international students filed asylum claims in the first nine months of this year after arriving in Canada, marking a new record number of claimants, despite the overall drop off in permits.
Immigration Minister Marc Miller isn’t ruling out fraudulent claims amid the unprecedented spike in students claiming asylum. He believes some students are being counselled to do so by outside consultants.
Miller told the Globe and Mail in an interview that he suspected the spike in asylum claims, many of which were filed by first year students, to be “mostly false.”
“It is quite obvious someone that’s here, that’s been here a year or even more, claiming asylum where no conditions have changed in their home country – it doesn’t smell good, it doesn’t look good,” said Miller.
“Clearly there is advice being given for people that are here that would otherwise have to go home to claim asylum, and that is not the intention of the asylum system as we have it in Canada.”
Some critics believe that the increase in student asylum claimants is in response to the government’s recent tightening of rules around permanent residency and that by claiming asylum, they have an alternate avenue to remain in Canada.
The federal government reduced its number of international student permits issued by more than 100,000 compared to 2023 earlier this year, however, permit extensions have increased slightly.
Between Jan. 1 and Sept. 30 this year, 13,660 asylum claims were filed by international students attending universities and colleges across Canada, according to federal immigration data obtained by The Globe and Mail.
With three months remaining this year, the total number of student claimants is expected to grow and it marks a notable increase, compared to the almost 12,000 international students who claimed asylum for all of 2023 and certainly a jump compared to the 1,810 who filed in 2018.
According to data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, international students filing for asylum tend to be most often coming from countries like India, Nigeria, Ghana, Guinea and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Miller has tasked College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants president John Murray with investigating the possibility of licensed immigration consultants as being responsible for “illegitimately advising international students to claim asylum.”
According to Murray, the college’s code of professional conduct clearly states that licensees are not permitted to aid clients in being dishonest or to commit fraud when filing applications.
Additionally, licensees who breach the code may face criminal sanctions in some cases as well as disciplinary measures, including permanent licence revocation and fines from the College.
“The college works closely with IRCC and other partners to protect the integrity of Canada’s immigration system and will collaborate with IRCC to address the specific concerns raised by the minister,” said Murray in a statement.