We refuse to accept these changes. We refuse to be blamed. We will continue to fight for permanent resident status for all migrants, including workers, students, and undocumented people.

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We are witnessing one of the most significant rollbacks of migrant rights and access in Canadian history. The government is slashing the numbers of migrant workers, international students, and refugees. It is also promising to further reduce the number of permanent residents, after already capping them.

With the changes announced over the last year, but particularly last week, at least 775,000 people are being shut out. Many more rules are also changing, such that migrants already in the country will be forced to become undocumented and pushed into vulnerable and precarious situations. These changes disproportionately impact working class migrants.

Not only will one million people—more than the population of Winnipeg—be shut out or deported, but those migrants that remain will be:

Forced into Bad Jobs: With less access to work permits and permanent residency, more people will be forced to rely on employer sponsorships just to stay in Canada. This means more power for bosses and more exploitation .
Separated from their families: Fewer work permits for family members mean more families will be torn apart.
Pay more for less: Higher financial requirements, fewer hours of work for study permit holders, new language tests, and requiring workers to renew permits each year means more stress and more costs for workers
Face racist violence: In just the past month, an Indian student was stabbed to death in Edmonton, a Syrian-run restaurant was set on fire in St. Catharines, a mosque was attacked in Antigonish and a Black Colombian refugee was killed by police in Vancouver. This increasing racist violence is a direct result of the growing anti-immigrant sentiment fuelled by political and media rhetoric. These cuts effectively affirm that migrants are responsible for the affordability crisis, which will further xenophobia.

This is an unacceptable betrayal of Liberal promises by way of Conservative-style immigration policy.

At the beginning of this mandate, in December 2021, Prime Minister Trudeau promised to ensure permanent resident status for migrant workers, students, and undocumented people. As recently as May 2024, the Minister of Immigration said the way to shrink the number of temporary residents is to offer them the opportunity to remain permanently.

Instead of keeping their promise, the federal Liberals are enacting Conservative-like immigration policies in the hopes that it will help them in the polls. Elites in government and media have been spreading right-wing rhetoric and anti-immigrant sentiment. Instead of combating it, the federal Liberals are accepting it. Provincial governments responsible for jobs, housing, healthcare, and education are turning to further scapegoating to distract from their own failures – this underinvestment will continue no matter what immigration levels are. This strategy of slashing immigration will fail electorally for the Liberals, and abuse and violence against migrants will increase.

Changing the rules in the middle of the game

The changes already announced will mean:

300,000 fewer international students
175,000 fewer post-graduation work permit (PGWP) holders
100,000 fewer foreign workers
An additional 200,000 PGWP holders already in Canada will be forced to leave

An additional unknown number of refugees and permanent residents who could have come to Canada will also be shut out.

These cuts are framed as cuts to new permits but will affect international students and migrant workers already in Canada. Overnight the lives of hundreds of thousands are being overturned.

Migrants are not responsible for the housing and affordability crisis. Slashing migrant numbers leaves those truly responsible off the hook.

Migrants often live in employer-controlled housing or crowded, substandard units without basic tenant rights. They are not competing for single-family homes. While the population has gone up by 3.9%, housing prices have gone up more than 20%, while hundreds of thousands of rental units sit empty because landlords are rent gougingBlaming migrants is a distraction.

Food prices have gone up higher than the price of inflation because grocery monopolies have unchecked power. Migrant workers who grow, process, pack, and deliver food face unsafe working conditions and low wages.

These cuts will also hurt all working people.

Blaming migrants is a tool of the ruling elites to distract and divide workers. These cuts will not address the corporate and policy decisions that have led to low wages, high unemployment, and unaffordable housing.

Canada’s population is aging, people are having fewer children, and the manufacturing sector has not grown. Instead of investing in people and ensuring permanent resident status for immigrants so they can sustain the aging population and the economy for the long run, Liberals and Conservatives have used temporary migration to bring in hundreds of thousands of migrant workers and students to pour money into the economy with no rights in return. In addition to their labour and their resources via high fees, migrants pay into social services like CPP and EI, as well as via federal and provincial taxes, but are denied most of the services. This means that migrants are subsidizing the social safety net. In fact, according to the International Monetary Fund, Canada has avoided two recessions on the backs of migrants in recent years.

These cuts come without any real investment in housing, manufacturing, or healthcare and will result in an economic contraction that will mean lower wages and higher prices for everyone.

Details of the changes announced over the last year

Temporary Foreign Workers – 100,000 people cut:

No LMIAs in High Unemployment Areas: Starting September 26, 2024, LMIAs (Labour Market Impact Assessments) will not be issued in areas with over 6% unemployment, except for certain jobs in sectors like caregiving, agriculture, construction, food manufacturing, and education. LMIAs are the first step before migrants can apply for work permits. Those already in Canada will not be able to renew their permits.
Cap on Low-Wage LMIA Positions: Starting September 26, 2024, employers can’t hire more than 10% of their workforce through low-wage LMIA, except in some industries (e.g., farming, caregiving, health care, certain PR programs). Those already in Canada will not be able to renew their permits.
Shorter Work Permits: Low-wage work permits (except for primary agriculture) will be limited to one year. Migrants will have to pay large sums to renew their work permits each year.
Cuts to Family Work Permits: Only spouses of workers in managerial jobs will be eligible for work permits. Even high waged workers, for example chefs and truck drivers, will be separated from their families. A promised expansion to work permits for family members of low-waged workers has been cancelled. These changes disproportionately target women.
End to Work Permits for Visitors: As of August 28, 2024, visitors can no longer transition to temporary work permits without leaving Canada. Many migrant workers relied on this option in order to not lose status and income while waiting for the government to process their applications.

Study Permits – 300,000 people cut:

Cap on Study Permits: The government is capping the number of undergraduate and college study permits in 2024 and adding in caps on graduate students in 2025. Those already in Canada will not be able to get new permits either if the caps are reached.
Proof of Funds Doubled: From January 2024, international students must show they have more funds in their bank accounts, averaging $20,635 per person plus tuition, up from the previous $10,000.
Ban on Families: Spouses of undergraduate and college students can no longer get work permits. Those in graduate programs less than 16 months will also not be able to have their families join them as of Fall 2024.
Restrictions on Work Hours: From April 2024, international students are restricted to working 20 hours off-campus, to be extended to 24 hours at a date yet to be announced. Students with no choice but to work more to pay high fees will be forced into undocumented work and face greater exploitation.

Graduated International Students – 375,000 people shut out

Promised Work Permits Being Cut: Private college students graduating after May 15, 2024, are ineligible for Post-Graduation Work Permits (PGWPs). Those who apply for study permits after November 1, 2024 to public colleges will also be ineligible unless their jobs are in specific industries.
New Language Test Requirements: Minimum language scores will be required starting November 1, 2024 to receive work permits.
No Work Permit Renewals: The government announced it will no longer renew PGWPs, and over 200,000 PGWPs are set to expire by 2025. Many of these migrants have been here for years, and are stuck in a processing nightmare.

Refugee Policies:

Increased Visa Rejections: While no official policy has been released, the ratio of refused visitor visa applications to approved ones was higher in June than at any point since the height of the pandemic. In January, February, May and June 2024, more applications were refused than approved. Many of these people may be refugee claimants.
Increased Border Refusals: While no official policy has been released, border officers turned away an average of 3,727 foreign travellers per month through the first seven months of 2024, an increase of 633 people, or 20%, from a year earlier. Many of them are potential refugees who are being turned away.
Changes to Mexican Asylum Claims: Instead of processing individual refugee claims from Mexico, Canada imposed visa requirements to make it harder for refugees to come here.

Permanent Residency:

Capped Admissions: Permanent residency has been capped for 2025 and 2026. This means fewer opportunities for migrants to transition to permanent residency and therefore higher chances of them becoming undocumented or forced to leave.
Provinces Closing the Door: Provincial programs in Yukon, Northwest Territories, Alberta and Saskatchewan have been abruptly closed. New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario and PEI have changed the rules without warning. As a result, thousands have been left in the lurch.