Are you planning to move to Canada? Here’s what Google trends show as immigration laws tighten

Canada has become the top choice for international students who want to study and work while living abroad. Many students come with a study permit, which allows them to work part-time while studying and start earning money right away. After graduating, a Post-Graduate Work Permit (PGWP) allows them to stay in Canada longer, often to eventually obtain permanent residence.

However, recent changes and tightening restrictions in Canada’s immigration policies are now making it more difficult for students to settle in the country long-term.

In recent years, Canada has seen a significant increase in the number of temporary residents, mainly due to an increase in the number of international students and temporary foreign workers. In response, the Canadian government is now taking measures to limit the flow of international students, temporary workers and new permanent residents into the country.

According to Google Trends, searches for “settle in Canada from India” have declined over the past five years. Interest spiked when Canada reopened immigration after COVID-19, but the trend has been gradually declining since then.

The number of temporary foreign workers in Canada grew from 437,000 in 2019 to more than 1.2 million in 2023. In response, the Canadian government plans to reduce the proportion of temporary residents from 6.5% to 5% of the total population over the next three years. . This marks a historic shift as Canada will now include goals for temporary residents in its annual immigration plans along with goals for permanent residents. As the government strengthens its temporary residence programs, important decisions are expected in terms of immigration planning for 2025 and 2026.

Additionally, the popularity of the search term “Canada from India” peaked in April 2021 but has continued to decline since then.

In 2023, Canada welcomed more than 900,000 international students. However, there was a noticeable decline from January to August 2024, with more than 200,000 fewer international students arriving, down 38% from the previous year. Additionally, Canada has reinstated limits on off-campus work hours for international students, limiting them to 20 hours per week, with a new 24-hour limit coming into effect later this fall.

Meanwhile, search interest for “Canada Study Permit” trended upward until October 2022, but interest has declined since then.

Canada has increased cost-of-living requirements for international students and introduced new rules to scrutinize acceptance letters from certain institutions. These measures are intended to protect students from potential fraud.

The restriction on the admission of international students to Canada has become a major topic of discussion, and the government has confirmed that it will remain in place.

In a significant policy change, Canada plans to issue 10% fewer study permits in 2025 and 2026 compared to 2024. This means a cap of 437,000 study permits in each of those years, down 36% from 2023 levels. .

In addition, starting from 2025, master’s and doctoral students will be counted towards this limit. With this change, Canada is including temporary residents in its immigration planning and will set annual targets specifically for international students in the future.

Starting November 1, Canada will introduce a new language requirement for post-graduation work permit applicants, aligning it with the standards for permanent residence.

From 1 November 2024, candidates must demonstrate Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) Level 7 for university graduates and CLB Level 5 for college graduates.

For students applying after this date, eligibility for a post-study work permit will also depend on their level of study. Graduates with bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate degrees will still be eligible for a work permit for up to three years. However, graduates of public college programs will only be eligible for a work permit for this period if their field of study is related to areas experiencing labor shortages in Canada.

Canada is expected to take further steps to limit eligibility for open work permits for spouses. These changes will limit work permit eligibility for spouses of students enrolled in certain doctoral and master’s programs, select professional programs, and specific pilot programs. Over the next three years, these changes are expected to result in an estimated 50,000 fewer work permits issued to student spouses.

Moreover, Canada will limit work permit eligibility to spouses of highly skilled professionals, including senior executives, scientists, engineers, lawyers, professors and technicians, as well as workers in sectors experiencing severe labor shortages. However, spouses of workers in critical fields such as healthcare and construction will still be eligible for a work permit. This is projected to result in a reduction of approximately 100,000 work permits for this group of spouses over the next three years.

In addition, Canada has introduced a Controlled Immigration Plan from 2025 to 2027, targeting both temporary and permanent residents, including international students and foreign workers. Targets for permanent residents will drop from 500,000 in 2024 to 395,000 in 2025, then drop to 380,000 in 2026 and finally settle at 365,000 in 2027. 543,600 in 2027.

The data clearly shows declining interest in moving to Canada.