修订规约以更好地保护留学生

🔊 朗读

 

2023 年 12月 07 日 – 安大略省渥太华

加拿大是国际学生的首选目的地，这要归功于我们高质量的教育机构、热情好客的多元化社会，以及一些学生毕业后工作或永久移民的机会。虽然国际学生为全国各地的校园生活和创新做出了贡献，但他们在加拿大求学期间也经历了一些严峻的挑战，例如寻找合适的住房。

移民、难民和公民部部长马克·米勒（Marc Miller）阁下今天宣布，自 2024 年 1 月 1 日起，将提高学习许可申请人的生活费经济要求，以便留学生为在加拿大的生活做好经济准备。今后，这一门槛将在加拿大统计局（Statistics Canada）每年更新低收入截止线（LICO）时进行调整。低收入截止线是确保个人不必将超过平均水平的收入用于购买生活必需品所需的最低收入。

自 2000 年代初以来，学习许可申请人的生活费要求一直未变，当时单个申请人的生活费要求为 10,000 加元。因此，随着时间的推移，资金要求并没有跟上生活费用的增长，导致学生到达加拿大后才发现资金不足。2024 年，单人申请者将需要证明，除了第一年的学费和旅费外，他们还有 20,635 加元（占 LICO 的 75%）。这一变化将适用于 2024 年 1 月 1 日或之后收到的新学习许可申请。

虽然这将有助于防止学生受到伤害和剥削，但我们认识到，这一变化的影响可能因申请人而异。明年，我们打算与合作伙伴合作，实施有针对性的试点项目，测试旨在帮助代表性不足的留学生群体在加拿大继续学业的新思路。

在今天的宣布之前，我们于 2023 年 10 月 27 日宣布了对国际学生项目的重要改革，即制定一个新的框架，以表彰为国际学生提供包括住房在内的优质服务和支持的学习机构。我们希望教学机构只接收其能够提供足够支持（包括住宿选择）的学生人数。

在欢迎国际学生的同时，我们有责任确保学生在来到我们国家时得到支持。在 2024 年 9 月新学期到来之前，我们准备采取必要措施，包括限制签证，以确保指定的学习机构为学生提供充分和足够的支持，作为学术体验的一部分。为了取得这一成果，我们必须与各省和地区政府、教学机构及其他教育利益相关方共同努力，以确保国际学生在加拿大取得成功。

米勒部长还介绍了三项影响留学生的临时政策的最新情况，这些政策都将于 2023 年底到期，其中包括以下政策：

• • 国际学生在上课期间每周可在校外工作 20 小时的限制将延长至 2024 年 4 月 30 日。在此之前，已在加拿大的留学生以及在 2023 年 12 月 7 日之前已提交学习许可申请的申请人每周可在校外工作 20 小时以上。今后，我们将继续研究这一政策的备选方案，例如将留学生在上课期间的校外工作时间延长至每周 30 小时。

• • 对于在 2024 年 9 月 1 日之前开始学习课程的学生，我们将继续实施允许留学生将在线学习时间计入未来毕业后工作许可时间的便利措施，只要在线学习时间不超过学习课程的 50%。这项措施将不再适用于在 2024 年 9 月 1 日或之后开始学习课程的学生。远程学习便利措施于 2020 年首次实施，以应对新冠疫情期间的旅行限制，并于 2022 年 9 月缩小了范围。目前，绝大多数国际学生都亲自在加拿大学习。

• • 为应对新冠疫情期间和新冠疫情后恢复期间劳动力市场的混乱，加拿大曾 3 次推出临时政策，在毕业后工作许可证持有者的初始工作许可证即将到期时，为其提供额外的 18 个月工作许可证。毕业后工作许可证在 2023 年 12 月 31 日前到期的外国公民仍有资格申请。但是，这项临时政策将不再延长。

我们珍视国际学生为加拿大带来的巨大社会、文化和经济利益，为了使这些利益得以延续，我们必须解决那些使一些学生变得脆弱并对国际学生计划的完整性提出挑战的问题。随着早该提高的生活费门槛的提高，抵达加拿大的学生在开始学业时将有更坚实的经济基础。

引述

“国际学生为其所在社区带来了巨大的文化、社会和经济利益，但他们也面临着在加拿大生活的挑战。我们正在修订生活费门槛，以便让留学生了解这里的真实生活成本。这项措施是他们在加拿大取得成功的关键。我们还在探索各种方案，以确保学生找到足够的住房。这些早该进行的改革将保护留学生免于陷入经济困境和被剥削”。

– 马克·米勒，移民、难民和公民部部长

事实简要

• • 国际教育每年带来的经济活动超过 220 亿加元，超过了加拿大的汽车零部件、木材或飞机出口额，并为加拿大提供了 20 多万个工作岗位。

• • 魁北克省为前往魁北克省教育机构学习的国际学生设立了自己的生活费门槛，并不断定期提高这一门槛。

• • 新的财务准则也适用于 “学生直通流”（Student Direct Stream），这是一种特殊的学习许可申请程序，适用于 14 个国家的居民，要求申请人提供额外的前期信息，并提供优先处理。

相关链接

• • News release: Changes to International Student Program aim to protect students
• • News release: Transforming our immigration system to build a stronger Canada
• • News release: Stabilizing Canada’s immigration targets to support sustainable growth

联络

Bahoz Dara Aziz Press Secretary Minister’s Office Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada Bahoz.DaraAziz@cic.gc.ca

Media Relations Communications Sector Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada 613-952-1650 media@cic.gc.ca

源自：加拿大移民、难民和公民部

Revised requirements to better protect international students

From: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

December 7, 2023—Ottawa—Canada is a top destination for international students, thanks to our high-quality educational institutions; our welcoming, diverse society; and the opportunities for some to work or immigrate permanently after graduation. While international students have contributed to life on campuses and innovation across the country, they have also experienced some serious challenges, such as finding adequate housing, as they pursue their studies in Canada.

The Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced today that starting January 1, 2024, the cost-of-living financial requirement for study permit applicants will be raised so that international students are financially prepared for life in Canada. Moving forward, this threshold will be adjusted each year when Statistics Canada updates the low-income cut-off (LICO). LICO represents the minimum income necessary to ensure that an individual does not have to spend a greater than average portion of income on necessities.

The cost-of-living requirement for study permit applicants has not changed since the early 2000s, when it was set at $10,000 for a single applicant. As such, the financial requirement hasn’t kept up with the cost of living over time, resulting in students arriving in Canada only to learn that their funds aren’t adequate. For 2024, a single applicant will need to show they have $20,635, representing 75% of LICO, in addition to their first year of tuition and travel costs. This change will apply to new study permit applications received on or after January 1, 2024.

While this will help prevent student vulnerability and exploitation, we recognize that the impact of the change could vary depending on the applicant. Next year, in collaboration with partners, we intend to implement targeted pilots that will test new ideas aimed at helping underrepresented cohorts of international students pursue their studies in Canada.

Today’s announcement follows important reforms to the International Student Program announced on October 27, 2023, regarding the development of a new framework to recognize learning institutions that provide top-quality services and support, including housing, to international students. We expect learning institutions to only accept the number of students that they can provide adequate supports for, including housing options.

In welcoming international students, we have a responsibility to make sure that students are supported when they come to our country. Ahead of the September 2024 semester, we are prepared to take necessary measures, including limiting visas, to ensure that designated learning institutions provide adequate and sufficient student supports as part of the academic experience. In order to achieve this result, it is imperative to work together with provincial and territorial governments, learning institutions and other education stakeholders, so we can ensure international students are set up for success in Canada.

Minister Miller also provided an update on 3 temporary policies affecting international students that were all set to expire at the end of 2023, including the following:

• • The waiver on the 20-hour-per-week limit on the number of hours international students are allowed to work off campus while class is in session will be extended to April 30, 2024. International students already in Canada, as well as applicants who have already submitted an application for a study permit as of December 7, 2023, will be able to work off campus more than 20 hours per week until that time. We continue to examine options for this policy in the future, such as expanding off-campus work hours for international students to 30 hours per week while class is in session.
• • The facilitative measure that has allowed international students to count time spent studying online towards the length of a future post-graduation work permit, as long as it constitutes less than 50% of the program of study, will continue to be in place for students who begin a study program before September 1, 2024. This measure will no longer apply to students who begin a study program on or after that date. Distance learning facilitation measures were first implemented in 2020 in response to travel restrictions during the pandemic, and were reduced in scope in September 2022. At this point, the vast majority of international students are studying in person in Canada.
• • In response to labour market disruptions during the pandemic and post-pandemic recovery, a temporary policy was introduced on 3 occasions to

• provide an additional 18-month work permit to post-graduation work permit holders as their initial work permit was expiring. Foreign nationals with a post-graduation work permit expiring up to December 31, 2023, remain eligible to apply. However, this temporary policy will not be extended further.

We value the significant social, cultural and economic benefits that international students bring to Canada, and for those benefits to continue, we must tackle issues that have made some students vulnerable and have challenged the integrity of the International Student Program. With the long-overdue increase to the cost-of-living threshold, students arriving in Canada will be on a stronger financial footing as they begin their studies.

Quotes

“International students provide significant cultural, social and economic benefits to their communities, but they have also faced challenges navigating life in Canada. We are revising the cost-of-living threshold so that international students understand the true cost of living here. This measure is key to their success in Canada. We are also exploring options to ensure that students find adequate housing. These long-overdue changes will protect international students from financially vulnerable situations and exploitation.”

– The Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

Quick facts

• • International education accounts for more than $22 billion in economic activity annually, greater than Canada’s exports of auto parts, lumber or aircraft, and supports more than 200,000 jobs in Canada.
• • Quebec establishes its own cost-of-living threshold for international students destined for Quebec’s learning institutions and has continued to raise this threshold periodically.
• • The new financial guidelines are also being applied to the Student Direct Stream, a special study permit application process available to residents of

• 14 countries that requires additional up-front information from the applicant and provides priority processing.

Associated links

• • News release: Changes to International Student Program aim to protect students
• • News release: Transforming our immigration system to build a stronger Canada
• • News release: Stabilizing Canada’s immigration targets to support sustainable growth

Contacts

Contacts for media only:

Bahoz Dara Aziz Press Secretary Minister’s Office Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada Bahoz.DaraAziz@cic.gc.ca

Media Relations Public Affairs and Strategic Communications Branch Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada 613-952-1650 media@cic.gc.ca