Making immigration fit

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 08/10/2024 (388 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Through an open letter to Canadians this week, Colleges and Institutes Canada, who represents more than 100 institutions across the country, asked the government of Canada to reconsider its approach to recent reforms of the International Student program.

As the president of Assiniboine College, I couldn’t agree more that some of the details need to be rethought.

I think there is general agreement that the number of temporary residents in the country has reached a problematic level.

Between temporary foreign workers, graduates on post-graduate work permits, and other temporary residents, Canada has over 2.8 million temporary residents.

With an immigration goal of only 500,000 per year and the majority of those temporary residents wanting to be permanent residents, there is mismatch.

While not the only issue in Canada’s housing crunch, this growth has definitively contributed to housing challenges in many parts of the country, notably southern Ontario, Nova Scotia and British Columbia. As such, I completely understand the need and desire of the Government of Canada to take action.

The challenge has been that since this past January, the changes that the government of Canada has made take a national stance, even though the problems and opportunities are very different from province to province.

Here in Manitoba, immigration efforts and post-secondary education have arguably been more aligned than in any other province in our federation.

In fact, it’s reported that 60 per cent of Manitoba Provincial Nominees come from international graduates who completed post-secondary in Canada.

The government of Canada’s latest announced set of policy changes surrounding international students and graduates once again take an approach that offers no nuance to address problems and opportunities by region.

This will have unfortunate consequences in some parts of the country. For example, labour market priorities will now be determined nationally rather than provincially. Colleges, whose core strength is labour market alignment, will be required to prove alignment to national occupations rather than the provincial and local ones they are designed to meet.

It leaves many of us scratching our heads.

It is unfortunate that provincial ministers such as Advanced Education and Training, Labour and Immigration and Economic Development were not consulted on these changes, because it’s clear they understand the importance of tailoring the solution to our province.

International graduates in Manitoba have good outcomes.

At Assiniboine, we track recent graduate outcomes every year. Of international graduates from the last academic year, 92 per cent reported being employed nine months after graduation, with 96 per cent remaining in Manitoba.

I don’t fault the government of Canada for taking action, nor a reduction in the international student numbers in some provinces to address the issues.

But the country would benefit from a more tailored approach where the shared jurisdiction in immigration is recognized, and policies and priorities map to local conditions, including current and forecasted labour market needs.

Policy makers continue to grab a hammer, when a scalpel might be a better tool for the job.

There’s still room to make alterations, provide greater predictability and stability in immigration policies, and help repair the reputation of Canada in other parts of the world.

Mark Frison is the president of Assiniboine College.