Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s 180-degree turnaround in immigration policy has rattled Canada’s higher education sector, providing a glimpse into the shock expected to hit other newcomer-reliant industries over the next few years.
Trudeau’s government capped foreign student permits earlier this year to help curb record population growth that had strained housing, the job market and public services. More recently, it has cracked down on temporary workers and even shrunk permanent resident targets.
The goal is to alleviate social and housing pressures by vastly cutting the number of temporary residents in the country over two years as millions of visas expire. Experts have warned that may be unrealistic, and there’s significant uncertainty about the path ahead.