Citizenship and Immigration Committee on Feb. 1st, 2022

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

I call the meeting to order.

Welcome to meeting number two of the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration. Today the committee is beginning its study on the recruitment and acceptance rates of foreign students.

It's my pleasure to introduce the first three witnesses as we start this important study. I would like to welcome Larissa Bezo, president and chief executive officer, Canadian Bureau for International Education. We also have Francis Brown Mastropaolo, director, international affairs, Fédération des cégeps. As well, from Universities Canada, we have Paul Davidson, president and chief executive officer, and Marc LeBlanc, senior government and international relations officer.

Before we begin I would like to make a few comments for the benefit of all the witnesses.

Before speaking, please wait until I recognize you by name. When you are ready to speak, you can click on the microphone icon to activate your mike. All comments should be addressed through the chair.

Interpretation in this video conference will work very much like a regular committee meeting. When speaking, please speak slowly and clearly. When you are not speaking, your mike should be on mute.

I would like to welcome all our witnesses who will begin our discussions with five minutes of opening remarks, followed by the round of questioning.

We will now proceed first to Madame Bezo, president and chief executive officer for the Canadian Bureau for International Education.

Madame Bezo, the floor is yours.

[Larissa Bezo, President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Bureau for International Education]

Good morning. Thank you so much for the opportunity to contribute to these important deliberations. I'm connecting to you virtually from Ottawa, the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe.

CBE 150-plus member institutions reflect the full spectrum of Canada's international education from K to 12 to FTS.D.s, spanning almost two million students. We are immensely proud of Canada's status as the destination of choice for international students, and we are acutely aware of the need to protect, maintain and, where possible, enhance Canada's standing in a fiercely competitive global market.

Accordingly, we commend the committee's interest in shedding light on how student visa applications are processed, including why rejection rates differ across Canadian visa offices and how we can do better to keep these rejection rates as low as possible.

Because each rejection letter is not only personally devastating for the student who has successfully qualified for admission to a Canadian institution, each rejection also arguably represents a failure of process, a waste of resources for the student and the host institution, a loss of opportunity for the community where the student planned to study, and fewer chances to leverage the people-to-people ties that come through education to promote Canada's long-term global engagement and future prosperity.

The problem is growing. Canada's rejection rate for student visa applications has increased in recent years. It is especially concerning in specific country and regional contexts; Africa, and francophone Africa in particular.

We need to be mindful that these failures of process do not end up being interpreted by potential international student candidates as failures of respect. The reputational risks for the Canada brand are significant.

Canada's IE sector has seen exponential growth in recent years, increasing by some 135% since 2009. This has occurred against the backdrop of an increasingly ambitious immigration program and, more recently, the pandemic.

To cope, ICC has had to change gears and increase its reliance on technology to help process applications. Unfortunately, student visa rejection rates have increased in lockstep with this growth, from 31% overall in 2016 to 53% in 2020. The growing disconnect between policy ambition and processing capacity is hard to ignore.

While it's important to pay attention to rejection rates for study permits, we strongly encourage the committee to consider the interconnectedness of this problem with the wider issues of policy coherence and integration across Canada's international education sector.

There are three issues I want to touch on very briefly. The first is what we are hearing from our institutions, that there are some troubling disconnects in the current system. We are aware that many well-qualified students have had their permit applications rejected, over half a million since 2016. Student study permit approval rates in some Canadian visa processing centres overseas have been and remain extremely low despite official policy direction through the international education strategy that Canada should diversify its source countries for international students.

Discretion is clearly being exercised, as it should be, given Canada's legitimate national interest concerns and to select students who have the best chance of succeeding, but where and how this discretion is being exercised is often opaque.

At a minimum, we need to ensure some level of consistency across visa centres so that we can test and validate that, where discretion is being applied, it is being done fairly and in a way that reflects Canadian values and Government of Canada priorities.

Second, with regard to dual intent, we encourage the committee to take a strong position on this issue. Dual intent is a simple concept that acknowledges the reality that many international students might want to both complete their study programs in Canada and then remain here to live and work. It lets them declare up front their plans to do so without creating the perverse incentives our current system has for them to misrepresent their intentions.

Indeed, if it is the stated policy of the Government of Canada to address our demographic deficit through immigration and to attract the best and brightest young immigrants to Canada, let us create a program that formally acknowledges and encourages this type of candidate.

With regard to dual intent, there is a broader need for a more integrated—

[Christine Normandin, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

On a point of order, Madam Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

I will interrupt you, Ms. Bezo.

Go ahead, Madam Normandin.

[Christine Normandin, Bloc, Saint-Jean, QC]

I'm sorry to interrupt the witness, but there are problems with the interpretation. Unfortunately, it is inaudible.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Okay, we will just have a look.

Madam Bezo, you can please proceed. We will give you a minute to finish your presentation.

[Larissa Bezo]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

My final point is that we need to be more up front about our intentions about how we better inform student visa screening processes. We need ESDC to engage more effectively with industry, provinces, territories and community service organizations to identify labour market priorities that improve and inform those policies.

As we move ahead, we need IRCC to take some practical steps to improve its training, including placing an explicit focus on intercultural competence training, meaningfully assessing algorithms currently being used for screening applicants for unintended bias, and explore the confluence of factors that explain why some visa offices have high refusal rates.

In closing, we would really encourage the committee to explore benefits and risks about implementing an entirely new pathway for international students that allows those who want to both study in Canada and eventually stay after graduation. Simply tweaking the current temporary visa framework is not enough. We need some bold and innovative thinking here that complements our immigration goals and something that makes a strong statement that it's not “business as usual” in Canada. Our members are keen to engage on this issue.

Thank you for your time.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Thank you, Madam Bezo.

We will now proceed to Mr. Francis Brown Mastropaolo.

Mr. Mastropaolo, the floor is yours.

[Francis Brown Mastropaolo, Director, International Affairs, Fédération des cégeps]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

First of all, I would like to thank the members of the committee for inviting me to appear today.

I am here on behalf of the 48 CEGEPs in Quebec. These are public institutions of higher learning that are attended by 195,000 students. Of these, more than 7,000 are international students and 30% of them come from French-speaking African countries.

Hosting international students is a priority for CEGEPs. In fact, the number of international students increases by about 15% each year. CEGEPs are thus contributing to Canada's international attraction goals.

According to a recent study, our members consider immigration procedures to be the main obstacle to international recruitment. This is especially true for students from the main recruitment pools in francophone Africa.

The CEGEPs note that, for several years, the study permit rate of refusal for applicants from these countries has been very high and is even tending to increase, which blocks the way to thousands of students who have nevertheless been admitted to our institutions.

Between 2015 and 2020, the highest refusal rates observable were for applications from 13 francophone African countries. For several of these countries, refusal rates reached 80%. The regional average remained above 65%. No other region in the world compares. For example, the important recruitment pools of India and China had average refusal rates of 35% and 17% respectively.

These exceptional refusal rates tell us that unfavourable treatment is applied in the case of applicants from French-speaking Africa, on the one hand, and in the case of applicants who want to study in a CEGEP, on the other. Indeed, for this same region, the refusal rates by level of education show a clear trend: they are clearly higher for CEGEPs, while they decrease for universities.

The year 2020 was of particular concern for CEGEPs, as application refusal rates ranged from 85% to 100% for the majority of sub-Saharan African countries.

CEGEPs feel that they suffer, firstly, from an immigration process that perceives these countries in a systemic way, but also from a lack of understanding of the Canadian higher education system.

To be clear, federation members question whether there are biases in the processing of applications or problems in the operation of the immigration system. This could explain such a disastrous result. Indeed, the recent increase in refusal rates forces us to question the use of automated systems such as the Chinook system. Furthermore, it appears to us that the redistribution, in 2020, of files from francophone Africa to processing centres outside that region has contributed to the increase in refusal rates.

The situation has significant implications for CEGEPs as well as for the broader communities in which they are located. First, CEGEPs are investing human and financial resources in vain. Furthermore, all Quebec CEGEPs, and even more so those located outside the major centres, need international students to fulfil their educational mission and to ensure the social, cultural and economic development of our country. Finally, communities are deprived of the direct benefits derived from the presence of these students.

There are also consequences related to the inconsistency between the denial of study permits and other government initiatives. Canada invests roughly $7 million a year just to promote the country as a study destination. Quebec, on the other hand, invests close to $15 million in attraction measures and scholarships for international students at the CEGEP level alone. Although it is the institution's management that proceeds with the admission of students after a serious analysis, it is more often the immigration officer who pronounces on the validity of the individual's background.

Finally, the situation also has implications for Canada's reputation. It prides itself on being an accessible and welcoming study destination, but treats students differently depending on their country of origin. Image-based diplomacy is just for show and has its limits, especially with young people who will quickly be asked to look elsewhere.

In conclusion, while the problem of study permit refusal rates is a national one, it is particularly damaging for CEGEPs and for the Canadian francophonie as a whole.

It seems that the actor responsible for immigration procedures is, on his own, capable of thwarting the efforts of governments, institutions, and above all, francophone African students.

We believe it is essential that the processing of study permit applications be fair, just and transparent for all individuals, regardless of their country of origin, language or intended level of training.

We invite the committee to shed light on current processes and to analyze the reasons behind the refusal rates of applications from French-speaking African students, for example by checking whether these students are victims of prejudice, as has been mentioned.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, IRCC, wants to integrate new permit application processing systems. It is extremely important that these do not have the same flaws as the current system; this must be made a priority.

We remain willing to work with the committee and with IRCC on these issues. We want to be involved when solutions are proposed to address the issue we are raising here today.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Thank you.

I now welcome Paul Davidson. He is the president of Universities Canada.

Welcome, Mr. Davidson.

[Paul Davidson, President and Chief Executive Officer, Universities Canada]

Thank you very much, Madam Chair, and thank you to the IT team of the House of Commons for getting me online so well.

It's great to be with you today. On behalf of Universities Canada and our members, thank you for the invitation to speak with you.

Thanks also to every member of this committee for the extraordinary work that all parliamentarians are continuing to do in these very challenging times.

With me today is Marc LeBlanc, who leads our international relations work.

I had the pleasure of appearing before this committee last April to discuss the temporary foreign worker program. As you may recall, Universities Canada represents 96 universities across the country. Taken together, Canada's universities are a $38-billion enterprise employing over 300,000 people, and universities are often the largest employer in their communities. Universities are a social and economic anchor in these difficult times and they are catalysts.

Canada's universities are an integral part of the Team Canada approach to responding to COVID-19, from mitigating risk to developing a vaccine, and accelerating Canada's social and economic recovery.

Now that the borders are reopening and Canada is once again welcoming international students, we look forward to working with this committee to ensure that the country remains a prized destination for top talent.

I want to talk to you today about the role of universities in attracting the talent that will drive economic recovery.

During my last committee appearance, I mentioned that today's global competition for talent is the 21st century gold rush.

Global competition is intensifying, and while Canada has a good reputation, it will take a greater effort to attract the brightest minds.

We have taken steps like the international student program to make coming to Canada attractive to highly skilled individuals. International students contribute over $22 billion to the Canadian economy and support over 218,000 jobs. They also play a fundamental role in building Canada's highly skilled talent pipeline.

For international students, borders are reopening around the world, providing more choice than even just two years ago. Canada has a global brand of being diverse and welcoming with world-class institutions, and we're seeing more international students arriving from emerging markets. These strengths must be leveraged as the global competition heats up. It will also be critical that our immigration system remains competitive.

In the coming months, we look forward to working with this committee to ensure timely and accurate visa processing in key markets and building a more applicant-friendly experience.

A more urgent challenge we need to address is the high visa refusal rates in many of our priority markets, particularly in francophone Africa. We greatly appreciate the work of this committee to examine this issue in greater detail. On average, the largest international source countries for university enrolment see about an 80% approval rate, with some countries as high as 95%. However, some of the top African source countries for Canadian university students show lower approval rates for study permits.

In 2019, the visa approval rates for undergraduate students from Morocco and Senegal, two of our priority countries for francophone student recruitment, were 55% and 20% respectively, versus 85% and 95% in other markets.

High refusal rates have a direct impact on our recruitment efforts and on Canada's brand as a welcoming place to study and build a life. We recognize that universities have a role to play in addressing this issue, and we're ready to work with the federal government, provincial governments and others to help ensure our prospective students meet the necessary requirements to receive favourable decisions on their study permits.

To succeed, the federal government, provincial governments and universities must take a collaborative approach to attracting the best and brightest students to Canada. By working together, we can ensure that enrolment at Canadian institutions remains sustainable, allowing them to benefit from students from around the world.

We are grateful for all the work the committee is doing to help Canada recover from the pandemic. We look forward to continuing this partnership to build a strong Canada.

Thank you again for the opportunity to be with you. We look forward to working with this committee throughout this Parliament, as Canada remains a top destination for international students from around the world.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Thank you, Mr. Davidson.

We have heard from all three witnesses, so we will proceed to our round of questioning. We'll start our first round with MP Godin, for six minutes.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I find it quite interesting to be at the committee this morning.

My first question is for Mr. Brown Mastropaolo.

Mr. Brown Mastropaolo, you said in your introduction that countries of origin influence the decision. My question will be very clear. The country of origin may have its influence, but is there another criterion that influences the decision? Is language a factor that delays the processing of applications? If so, on the one hand, this would have economic repercussions. Indeed, Mr. Davidson from Universities Canada mentioned the economic impact on that side. On the other hand, we are interested in fostering the development of the French language in Canada, so there would be consequences on that front as well.

[Francis Brown Mastropaolo]

Your question is interesting.

Based on the statistics obtained, we note that refusal rates are less related to the language of the individual than to the language of use in their country of origin. As to whether this causes additional delays, the question would have to be put directly to the IRCC.

In any case, we see in all cases a bias related to country of origin as well as an impact on the refusal rate of applications that involve CEGEP studies. The refusal rate is problematic for our entire network, which includes not only French-language CEGEPs, but also some English-language CEGEPs. That said, the refusal rate is slightly more problematic for French-language CEGEPs.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Let me ask another question: which countries are we competing with when we try to attract foreign students here in Canada to both French and English educational institutions?

Mr. Davidson referred to the race for international students as the gold rush of the 21st century. Now we are competing.

Could you indicate who you are competing with when trying to attract international students to Canada?

[Francis Brown Mastropaolo]

First of all, there is competition internally, in Canada, among colleges and universities for undergraduates, depending on the profile of the student and what they are looking for, of course, because you also have to adapt to the individual.

Secondly, with regard to international competition, France has far greater means than Canada, because it invests much more than Canada in international promotion. We are also talking about other European destinations such as Belgium, Switzerland and Germany. These countries are our direct competitors.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

My next question is for Mr. Davidson.

Mr. Davidson, as you mentioned, attracting international students to help develop Canada is the gold rush of the 21st century. If you were working at IRCC tomorrow morning, what would be the first thing you would do to address the weaknesses in the system?

[Paul Davidson]

To build from your last question, France is obviously a very key competitor country with regard to the francophone market—

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Madam Chair, I can't hear the interpretation.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

Mr. Davidson, I'll just stop you. There are some interpretation issues. We'll have a look.

[The Clerk of the Committee, Ms. Stephanie Bond]

Mr. Davidson, please continue.

[Paul Davidson]

I was just building on the previous question, before Mr. Godin, that France is absolutely a competitive nation for us in terms of attracting francophone students. It has a very powerful brand and historic roots. It is very aggressive in attracting francophone students to France.

It's important for all of Canada's universities as well, in Quebec and beyond Quebec, to attract French-speaking students. In minority francophone communities across the country, French-speaking students are a very valuable asset not only to the educational enterprise, but also to the economic growth of the region.

With regard to the broader competition in anglophone markets, the U.S., the U.K. and Australia are our biggest competition and they spend vastly larger sums on marketing their brands.

We are in regular dialogue with IRCC on a number of issues. One is how we build a stronger Canadian brand, because people think of nation first when they're thinking of where they want to study.

Second, we have a very positive, non-partisan, all-partisan policy environment that welcomes international students. We have good policies. We need to improve our operational realities on the ground in the markets we're trying to attract students from. Therefore, we are working with IRCC in key markets in terms of how we improve their staff's knowledge of the work that's being done and how we ensure that we have high-quality, high-integrity and quick visa processing. It's really important.

I mentioned some of the refusal rates that our prospective students have encountered. Universities go to a great deal of effort and expense to raise their profile and recruit these students, and if they're refused for head-scratching reasons, we've lost investment. We've lost the potential of that student.

We want to make sure that we have world-class student attraction.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Davidson.

In your presentation, you mentioned that, for reasons that remain unclear, many applications from Morocco and Senegal were rejected. What is your interpretation of the situation, in terms of French?

In fact, as the study shows, there is a massive rejection of applications from African francophones. I would like to hear your comments on this phenomenon. I would like you to tell me how you experience this problem on the ground and how it can be resolved.

[The Chair, Liberal, Salma Zahid]

MP Godin, I'm sorry for interrupting. Your time is up. Maybe you'll have to hear back in the next round of questioning.

We will now proceed to MP El-Khoury.

You have six minutes for your round of questioning.

[Fayçal El-Khoury, Liberal, Laval—Les Îles, QC]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

I'd like to welcome the witnesses.

My first question is also for Mr. Brown Mastropaolo.

As you know, Mr. Brown Mastropaolo, any application by a foreign student to study in Canada must meet certain financial criteria.

You know very well that, in accordance with the Canada-Quebec Accord relating to Immigration and Temporary Admission of Aliens, the Quebec government determines the financial resources required for a student to be eligible for a study permit. In Quebec, a student 18 years of age or older must provide proof that he or she will have funds of more than $13,000 per year of study, while elsewhere in Canada it is $10,000.

First, do you believe this has an impact on the approval rate of applications from international students who want to study at Quebec post-secondary institutions?

Secondly, I would like to know if you, on your side, have approached the Quebec government to address this issue by asking them to agree to set the criteria at $10,000 instead of $13,000.