Canada’s immigration minister calls on provinces to “rein in” number of international students | Canada News Media
Connect with us

News

Canada’s immigration minister calls on provinces to “rein in” number of international students

Published

 on

Recent comments from Immigration Minister Marc Miller have highlighted the role of Canada’s provinces in the number of international students in the country.

The minister told CTV news that Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has some concerns about the volume of international students in Canada and said some provinces have not been doing their job in reining in that number to a more sustainable volume.

For example, in 2022 there were over 800,000 international students in Canada and last year the minister said he expected that number to rise to 900,000 by the end of 2023. This is more than triple the number of international students a decade ago (275,000 in 2012).

Discover your options to study in Canada

Education in Canada, including post-secondary education, is a provincial responsibility. This means that it is up to provincial governments to decide which schools can accept international students as Designated Learning Institutions (DLIs).

The minister said that the DLI model in some provinces is a factor in the high number of international students and that “robust” discussion is needed between the provinces and DLIs, particularly those who are “profiting off the system”.

“There’s a challenge to the integrity of the system,” he said, “and it comes with institutions that have been leveraging the fact there has been this permissive Designated Learning Institution model and getting people outside the country paying a premium dollar to and not necessarily getting the education they were promised.”

When questioned about a potential cap on the number of study permits that IRCC issues each year, the minister said that IRCC was considering it if the provinces do not take appropriate action, but a cap would not be a “one-size-fits-all solution.”

Further, the minister has not confirmed any details surrounding the creation of a limit on the number of study permits issued and last October he told the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration that he was not in favour of a cap as it punishes good actors within the system.

Designated Learning Institutions

If a post-secondary institution such as a college, university, or trade school, wishes to accept international students, they must meet provincial accreditation requirements to become a DLI. Each province’s requirements are different, and some are stricter than others.

According to the official list of DLIs in Canada, there are 529 DLIs in Ontario, the country’s most populous province. Quebec has 443 DLIs, British Columbia has 277 and Alberta has 158. All other provinces have less than 50.

Once a provincial government receives a DLI application and deems that an institution is eligible, the information is submitted to IRCC. The department then assigns the school a DLI number and adds it to the list of official DLIs.

High acceptance rates for international students

Once a school becomes a DLI it can begin issuing Letters of Acceptance (LOAs) to international students. An LOA is a key document in a student’s application for a study permit. The number of international students a DLI may accept is often based on an institution’s ability to provide adequate support.

However, some institutions have been found to issue LOAs to more students than they have the capacity for on the assumption that many international students will not accept or be successful in their application for a study permit. This was the case last year when Northern College in Timmins Ontario revoked admission for 504 previously accepted international students.

Latest international student program updates

Throughout the CTV interview, Minister Miller explained that IRCC has been working to “get our own house in order federally.” As part of this, throughout the second half of 2023, IRCC announced new measures to improve the integrity of the International Student program.

For example, DLIs are now required to verify an applicant’s LOA after they apply for a study permit. When an overseas international student submits their application for a study permit, the DLI will receive daily emails as a reminder to verify the applicant’s LOA in an online portal. The DLI must do so within 10 days or the student permit application will be cancelled and returned to the applicant, along with a refund of fees paid for processing costs.

This measure will help prevent international student fraud such as the case of when 700 international students from India were found to have been issued fake LOAs.

IRCC is also working to launch the Trusted Framework Agreement with DLIs. In September 2023, ICEF reported that under the agreement, institutions that demonstrate they are reliable partners in terms of sustainable intake, compliant with regulations and provide a supportive environment for international students will benefit from expedited permit processing.

IRCC’s proposal for the new Agreement shows that to be eligible to participate DLIs will need to provide data such as:

  • international student retention rate;
  • on-time program completion rate;
  • scholarships awarded to students from less-developed countries;
  • the percentage of revenue the institution receives from international students; and
  • the availability of DLI-administered housing for international students.

The proposal shows that the Agreement could come into effect as of Spring 2024 in time for the 2024 academic season.

Finally, in December the department announced that it would more than double the cost-of-living requirement for study permit applicants from $10,000 to $20,635. IRCC says this will help international students cope with the actual cost of living in Canada when they arrive.

 

Source link

Continue Reading

News

Shohei Ohtani leads off for Dodgers in World Series Game 3, two days after dislocating shoulder

Published

 on

NEW YORK (AP) — Shohei Ohtani wasn’t on the team bus from Dodger Stadium to Los Angeles International Airport because he was getting tests Saturday night after partially separating his left shoulder in Game 2 of the World Series.

So the Japanese star reached out in a group chat with fellow Dodgers players to erase any doubts over his status.

“The text just like literally said: `I can play,’” infielder Max Muncy recalled Monday. “I mean, there was more to it than that.”

True to his word, Ohtani remained in the lineup in his regular leadoff slot as the designated hitter for Game 3 of the World Series with Los Angeles holding a 2-0 lead over the New York Yankees.

Ohtani was the only Dodgers starter wearing a warmup jacket during pregame introductions and high-fived teammates with his right hand. A black wrapping was visible over his left shoulder.

He didn’t swing in his first plate appearance, taking four balls from Clarke Schmidt. Ohtani kept his left arm at an angle over his chest while at first base, hand holding his collar, and held it there while rounding the bases on Freddie Freeman’s two-run homer.

Muncy said Ohtani wrote the text himself in English without assistance from interpreter Will Ireton.

“We all just put it to the side at that moment,” Muncy remembered. “We all said: `All right, he’s got us. We’ll be ready for him to be in the lineup.’”

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts didn’t get the text message — “that group chat is for us — that’s for the players,” Muncy said — and wasn’t aware of it until Monday.

“Would have been helpful if I was on that thread. I would have slept better Saturday night,” Roberts said with a smile.

Ohtani got hurt sliding into second base when he was caught stealing to end the seventh inning of Saturday night’s 4-2 victory in Los Angeles.

Roberts said Ohtani’s shoulder was popped back into place by the athletic training staff at the ballpark and an MRI showed no structural damage. He wasn’t sure whether the injury will heal on its own or any procedure would be needed after the Series.

Asked whether Ohtani received medication, an injection or was being taped up, Roberts said “it’s all of the above on the treatment and stuff. The tape is just protecting and stabilizing, not really limiting.”

Ohtani took swings off a tee in a Yankee Stadium batting cage Sunday night and was hitting balls 102 mph, which changed Roberts’ mood to “joy.”

“He was very adamant that he was going to play,” Roberts said. “Obviously, there’s some discomfort.”

A separated shoulder is subject to recurrence. Roberts said he doubted Ohtani will attempt any more stolen bases during the Series.

“If you keep the best player in the game in the lineup, that’s usually good for your team,” Muncy said. “Obviously, it’s a big guy to have in there. It helps a lot. He’s had some big moments for us, and we’re obviously expecting a couple more big moments out of him.”

With the Dodgers chasing their eighth championship and second in five years, Walker Buehler was scheduled to start Game 3 for Los Angeles in the best-of-seven Series.

Ohtani was 0 for 3 with a walk in Game 2. The likely NL MVP is 1 for 8 in the first two games of the Fall Classic and is batting .260 with three home runs and 10 RBIs in his first postseason in the majors.

“It was very tough in the moment to see him in pain like that,” Muncy said. “We were two innings away from winning that ballgame. We knew we had to refocus. Obviously, it sucks seeing Sho in that kind of pain, but we still had a job to do in the moment.

“After the game we all checked on him to see how he was doing. It was like a buffet line going in there to see how he’s doing. Yeah, it was tough in the moment, but we refocused to win the game.”

A two-time AL MVP with the Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani joined the Dodgers last December for a record $700 million, 10-year contract.

The 30-year-old slugger hit .310 with 54 homers, 130 RBIs and 59 stolen bases, becoming the first player with at least 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in a season. The two-way star did not pitch this season while recovering from elbow surgery on Sept. 19, 2023, and has been limited to designated hitter.

“You see him walk off holding (his arm) like that, obviously that’s a concern. But hopefully he is OK,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said before Game 3. “We want to all be out here competing with and against the best, and obviously Shohei embodies that. So hopefully everything’s OK, and we’ll get to go compete against him.”

___

AP MLB:



Source link

Continue Reading

News

Fans in Shohei Ohtani’s Japanese hometown pack in to watch Game 3 of the World Series

Published

 on

OSHU CITY, Japan (AP) — Hundreds of fans filed into a public viewing center in Shohei Ohtani’s hometown in northern Japan on Tuesday morning — the country is 13 hours ahead of Yankee Stadium — to cheer the country’s top celebrity in Game 3 of the World Series.

Fans lined up outside the Oshu City Cultural Center, a 500-seat auditorium, on a perfect fall morning to watch their local hero in a live telecast. They were there an hour before the game started.

Many came dressed in Dodger Blue — caps or jerseys — and were supplied with various noisemakers, including thunder sticks. The hall was adorned with posters announcing Ohtani as “The Pride of Oshu City.”

Ohtani, playing two days after dislocating his left shoulder in Game 2, drew a walk on his first at-bat. That drew wild cheers from the 250 fans attending, who chanted “Go, Go. Shohei.” Then came even more cheers when the Dodgers took a 2-0 lead on Freddie Freeman’s home run.

“He’s more like a Japanese treasure than just a local (treasure),” said fan Hiromitsu Kikuchi. “I think he has passed beyond the hometown and is more like world-class. We have never had a star player like this before from our hometown.”

Among the mostly older fans were about 20 children from the kindergarten that Ohtani attended. They came equipped with small flags emblazoned with Ohtani’s smiling face.

Several fans said they were worried Ohtani might not play but set out from home when they got the good news.

“I came to see Ohtani because the television news reported that he would play,” said fan Tadashi Onodera. “It’s fantastic. We are proud to have such a player from out hometown.”

This is the town where Ohtani played Little League, starred as a pitcher and hitter at Hanamaki Higashi High School, and became the favorite son of Iwate Prefecture, a mountainous region abutting the Pacific Ocean.

His hometown is located about 300 miles (500 kilometers) north of Tokyo, a largely rural place far from the capital, its hundreds of skyscrapers and high-end prosperity.

All eyes at the viewing were on the Dodgers superstar — and his left shoulder. His injury briefly cast a pall and flipped Japan’s mood from magic to morose.

Then came relief. The magic returned as Dodgers manager Dave Roberts started Ohtani as the designated hitter and leadoff hitter in Game 3, what local fans and all of baseball wanted to see.

“I was concerned (about the injury), but believed it would be okay,” said Masatoshi Honmyo, another local fan. “I would say he is a hero.”

___

AP MLB:

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



Source link

Continue Reading

News

Coast guard’s North Pacific patrol uncovers shark finning, dark vessels

Published

 on

VICTORIA – The Canadian Coast Guard ship Sir Wilfrid Laurier is back in its home port in Victoria after its crew swept the North Pacific for unreported and unregulated fishing.

The coast guard says in a statement that its officers and support personnel found illegally harvested shark fins, evidence of fishing in closed season, unreported catches and instances of marine pollution.

It says the ship patrolled about 20,000 kilometres and it was the first opportunity to enforce the new ban on Pacific salmon retention, which has been in force for the North Pacific since July.

The statement says it also encountered a number of ships with their monitoring systems turned off, commonly known as dark vessels.

The excursion marked the first port visit of a Canadian Coast Guard vessel to Japan and Canada’s daily aerial surveillance this summer out of Hokkaido, Japan, was also the first joint air patrols with officers from Japan and Korea.

The coast guard says unreported and unregulated fishing is a major factor in declining fish stocks and the destruction of marine ecosystems.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 28, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending

Exit mobile version