IRCC implements new LOA measures for international students to maintain the International Student Program’s integrity in Canada. Particularly, IRCC has now introduced a digital portal for Designated Learning Institutions. These institutions are the only ones with the authority to welcome international students. They are solely responsible for verifying Letters of Acceptance, which the international students submit along with their study visa application.
IRCC implements new LOA measures for international students
With the enactment of this new framework, DLIs will now need to validate the LOAs that students submit via an online portal that will only be available to their representative(s) to the IRCC. Now, schools can check acceptance letters for up to ten calendar days. The DLI will withdraw and return the student visa application and any processing fees. This is applicable if a DLI is unable to confirm the LOA within that period of time or if they determine the letter is fake.
Remember that after the verification deadline expires, DLIs will not be able to verify LOAs.
These new measures are a response to numerous previous misuses of Canada’s systems for international students. This includes a well-known case from last year in which 700 Indian students were almost deported after being tricked into traveling to the country based on fake acceptance letters created by a dishonest immigration consultant.
Trusted Institutions Framework
The “Trusted Institutions Framework,” a new framework for DLIs, also became known this year by the IRCC. This new policy includes the implementation of a two-tiered study permit application process. Furthermore, this designation would help the reliable institutions in this framework in several ways, including expedited study permit processing.
Although the exact workings of this framework are yet uncertain, it is likely to take effect in the fall of 2024. Nonetheless, the IRCC has focused time and again this year on safeguarding the integrity of the program for overseas students, which is still a top priority. To guarantee that DLIs can adequately support international students in their academic experience, IRCC states it might restrict the amount of student visas.
Expected Changes Ahead in 2024
With several significant improvements planned for the year, 2024 will likely be a landmark year for Canada’s international student program.
More specifically, the IRCC will
- Raise the student cost of living requirement by an extra ten thousand Canadian dollars;
- Reevaluate the foreign students’ 20-hour work limit;
- Eliminate the expediting mechanism that permits foreign students to apply time spent overseas toward their Post-Graduation Work Permit and
- Present the PGWP program’s latest modifications.
Furthermore, the department has said it wants to link PGWP issuing and enrollment of overseas students with labor market and demographic requirements more closely. In general, 2024 will be a year of significant upheaval as Canada struggles to accommodate about a million foreign students in the upcoming academic year.
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