Canada is turning away foreign workers, international students, and tourists at an unprecedented rate. In 2024, immigration officials rejected 2.35 million temporary resident applications — 50% of all submissions—marking a sharp rise from 1.8 million rejections, or 35%, the previous year, according to data obtained by the Toronto Star.
Rejection rates soar across all categories
Visitor visas faced the harshest scrutiny, with 54% of applicants denied, up from 40% in 2023. Student permit rejections surged to 52%, a dramatic increase from 38% the previous year. Work permits, while slightly improved, still saw 22% of applicants turned away.
This wave of refusals reflects Canada’s tightening immigration stance as the federal government responds to mounting public pressure over rising living costs and a housing shortage. Ottawa has already slashed the number of new permanent residents by 20% between 2025 and 2027, aiming for 395,000 new arrivals in 2025, down from previous targets.
A legal limbo for migrants
Despite aggressive rejection policies, many temporary residents are finding ways to stay. Applications for visitor records, which extend a migrant’s legal stay without granting work or study rights, have nearly doubled from 196,965 in 2019 to 389,254 in 2024. While 95% of these applications were approved, the backlog is growing—with current processing times stretching to 119 days.
Global enrollment plunge hits economies hard
The crackdown comes amid a broader global decline in student enrollments. Canada’s student visa applications fell 46% in 2024, dropping to 469,000 from 868,000 in 2023. Other major destinations like Australia (down 36%), the UK (down 16%), and the US (down 11%) are seeing similar slumps.
