Some international students are playing hooky… from every single class.
Driving the news: Nearly 50,000 international students with Canadian study permits were reported as “no-shows” at their universities and colleges last spring, per data obtained by the Globe and Mail. This equates to almost 7% of international students on record at that time.
- India had the highest total of no-shows, with 19,582 students skipping. Meanwhile, Burundi had the highest rate of no-shows, with 49% of students not complying.
Why it matters: These students aren’t sleeping in. Most likely, they’re missing classes to work a job so they can eventually file an asylum claim. This is a growing phenomenon, with nearly 14,000 foreign students filing asylum claims over the first nine months of 2024.
- One immigration expert told the Globe and Mail that it’s the first time we’ve had such comprehensive data on the issue.
- That said, there’s still confusion on exactly how many international students are in Canada in the first place.
What’s next: The news comes as Canada continues to crack down on which migrants can work in Canada. Starting next week, new open work permits will only be given to the spouses of some foreign students and workers under very specific circumstances.—QH