2025 Annual Report to Canada's Parliament on Immigration

 IRCC facilitates the entry of students who wish to study at a designated Canadian educational institution. 

Students approved to study in Canada are issued a study permit.

In 2024, 516,275 individuals held study permits in Canada. This included new permits and extensions. Of these, 242,970 identified as women, 273,235 as men, 55 as another gender and the gender of 10 individuals was recorded as unspecified. 

An intake cap on study permit applications was introduced in January 2024 to help manage unsustainable growth in the program, with an issuance target set at 485,000 for that year. Of the 516,275 study permit holders, only 293,835 were issued to new students entering Canada in 2024, with the balance being issued to students already in Canada. 

This means that there were less than 360,000 new study permit holders who entered Canada in 2024.

In 2023, a total of 682,889 individuals held study permits, of which 496,175 were new. This indicates a decrease of 24% from 2023 to 2024. 

Canada’s overall international student population declined by 4% at year end of 2024 compared to end of 2023.

Link to full report

Visa Scams Surge

Tougher immigration rules encourage vulnerable migrants to seek advice from visa advisors many of whom may be frauds: story by Africanews

The Francophone visa scheme is corrupted.

Canada first launched the Francophone Mobility Scheme in 2019, intending to ensure the survival of the country’s minority language by increasing the number of French-speaking immigrants.

Following the program's expansion in 2023, officials anticipate that nearly 80,000 French-speaking residents from Africa will migrate to Canada by 2027, according to data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

Criminals are taking advantage of the new gateway. With the promise of guaranteed visas in record time, scammers lure victims in with online ads under the pretence of being specialised immigration consultants.

Some victims report being charged upwards of $15,000 before the perpetrator disappeared into thin air, according to RFI.

Link to full news article

 https://cila.co/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/CILA-The-State-of-Immigration-Fraud-in-Canada.pdf

Role of the CICC and provincial/territorial law societies and how applicants can find an authorized representative 

With respect to protecting the public, licensed immigration representatives in Canada are regulated by either the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (“CICC”) or the provincial/territorial law societies of Canada. 

The CICC licenses and regulates the practice of Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants (RCICs) and Regulated International Student Immigration Advisors (RISIAs) in the public interest. 

The 14 law societies in Canada are mandated by each province and territory to regulate their lawyers and the legal profession. Among their responsibilities, the CICC and the provincial/territorial law societies are mandated to uphold and protect the public interest in the delivery of immigration related legal services.

 Law Society Websites: 

● Law Society of British Columbia: https://www.lawsociety.bc.ca/ 

● Law Society of Albera: https://www.lawsociety.ab.ca/ 

● Law Society of Saskatchewan: https://www.lawsociety.sk.ca/ 

● Law Society of Manitoba: https://www.lawsociety.mb.ca/ 

● Law Society of Ontario: https://lso.ca/home?lang=en-ca 

● Barreau du Quebec: https://www.barreau.qc.ca/en/ 

● Chambre des notaries de Quebec: https://www.cnq.org/en/ 

● Law Society of New Brunswick: https://lawsociety-barreau.nb.ca/en 

● Nova Scotia Barrister’s Society: https://nsbs.org/ 

● Law Society of Prince Edward Island: https://lawsocietypei.ca/ 

● Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador: https://lsnl.ca/ 

● Law Society of Yukon: https://lawsocietyyukon.com/ 

● Law Society of Northwest Territories: https://lawsociety.nt.ca/ 

● Law Society of Nunavut: https://www.lawsociety.nu.ca/