Do Foreign Students Leave After Visas Expire? Canada Has No Idea, Finds Audit

Canada's foreign student program lacks integrity controls to verify ongoing visa compliance, and the government does not track whether students leave the country when their permits expire, the auditor general said.

Karen Hogan's audit of the program released Monday found that the government was successful in reducing the number of study permits it issued each year but fell short on improving the integrity of the system.

Canada's international student regime became mired in controversy in recent years over a sharp increase in the number of permits issued, as well as concerns that it was a back door for securing permanent residency. The government has since implemented a number of policy changes aimed at restoring trust in the program and curbing its size.  

Hogan's report found that while about 150,000 students were flagged in 2023 and 2024 for potential non-compliance with their permit terms, the Immigration Department only had resources to investigate about 4,000 cases. About 41% of the cases investigated could not be closed because the students in question did not respond. 

Moreover, the department identified 800 study permits issued between 2018 and 2023 in which applicants used fraudulent documentation or misrepresented information in their applications to gain entry to Canada. However, the government did not take any action in those cases, and 92% of those permit holders were later approved or awaiting a decision on other types of immigration applications. 

"While there were some adjustments made to improve the integrity of the program, what's concerning for me is that the department isn't acting on the information it has," Hogan said at a news conference.

The audit also found that department does not know whether students leave the country after their permits expire. Hogan's office identified 39,500 individuals whose visas expired in 2024 and who should no longer be in the country, and was able to confirm the departure of only 40% of those individuals with Canada Border Services Agency.

The number of international students in the country ballooned after the Covid-19 pandemic, reaching more than 1 million in 2023. That surge prompted the Canadian government to introduce a suite of reforms, including annual caps on study permits. The government also set a target of reducing the proportion of temporary residents in the country to 5% of the population by the end of 2027.

However, the government has undershot its new student visa target, with just under 150,000 permits approved in 2024 compared to the government's forecast of nearly 350,000. Hogan's report attributes that sharp decline to fewer applications and lower-than-projected approval rates. 

In a statement, Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab said the government accepts the auditor general's recommendations to strengthen follow-up in cases where fraud or non-compliance is suspected.

"At the same time, this report captures only the first 18 months of a broader multi-year reform effort that runs through 2027. It reflects an early phase of implementation, not the full impact of the changes now underway," Diab said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)