Citizenship and Immigration Committee on Nov. 25th, 2025

[Lysiane van der Knaap]

We don't really worry about the well-being of Éducation internationale. We worry about the well-being of the skills training network and the employment sector.

I'd start by holding consultations, but 24 hours probably wouldn't be enough. Actually, we need to restore a balance by analyzing labour market needs, and what's going on in educational institutions.

I can't speak to the education system in other provinces, but I can speak to the Quebec education system. Both innovation and labour needs have to be assessed. There's an imbalance that favours post‑secondary institutions, especially universities. There needs to be a more targeted approach, like changing the eligibility criteria for a postgraduation work permit so people have more freedom to follow vocational training, and getting rid of the 900-hour criterion, which we find very subjective.

Personal support worker training, for example, takes less than 900 hours, yet it's one of the trades where needs are critical. There are also a lot of construction trades that require less than 900 hours of training, and there is a huge shortage of workers in construction. These criteria should be reviewed, so that they are less subjective and based on labour market data.

Moreover, there are other inconsistencies in the choices made. Let me give you an example. There are more open work permits awarded to master and doctoral level students over trades students. Why is that?

Also, I'd want Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, or IRCC, officers to be familiar with professional training. Because it's offered at the high school level, and a little different from the rest of the Canadian ecosystem, a lot of administrative errors are being made. Although they meet all the eligibility criteria, some international candidates see their study permit applications denied, simply because the officers processing their applications don't understand what vocational training is.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

When you say open permit, do you mean the open permit for spouses?

[Lysiane van der Knaap]

Yes.

[Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, Bloc, Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

I wanted to clarify that for the analysts, because right now, graduate students are eligible, but not individuals….

I see the chair is giving me the eye, so I imagine my time is up.

Thank you very much for that information.

[The Chair, Liberal, Julie Dzerowicz]

Thank you, Mr. Brunelle‑Duceppe.

Mr. Ma, you have the floor for five minutes.

[Michael Ma, Conservative, Markham—Unionville, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair.

My questions will continue with Ms. van der Knaap.

Given your focus on protecting programs that lead in demand and high-skilled professions, I want to build on that focus. Should our international student admissions be further tied to housing considerations?

[Lysiane van der Knaap]

Probably, yes. There's a lot of talk about international students putting a strain on housing availability in Canada. We know that many regions are experiencing a housing shortage. At the same time, we need workers to build these housing units, and most construction site workers are vocational training graduates, which means they can help solve the problem. Unfortunately, they face some hurdles, because not all training lasts 900 hours and gives them access to a postgraduate work permit.

Again, in Quebec, the number of international students is smaller. The most we've seen in a year is 10,000. Otherwise, we're talking about 6,000 or 7,000 international students, and the vast majority attends one of the 138 institutions outside of Montreal. As Mr. Carette pointed out, in Alma, we can support the 70 or 100 students we get and find them housing. That's a very small number compared to much larger institutions that take in thousands of students. That can put a strain on some communities. It doesn't compare to the number of international students we welcome.

Of course, we have to take reception capacity into consideration, but we have to look at the forest, not just the tree, to know where the problem really lies.

[Michael Ma, Conservative, Markham—Unionville, ON]

Are there particular regions within Quebec where you think international students would struggle to find affordable housing at current rent prices? I heard what you said about the demand they would be addressing, but let's focus on their housing problem at this point. Again, my question is, do international students struggle in any particular parts of Quebec where there are high costs of living?

[Lysiane van der Knaap]

I'll let my colleague, Ms. René, add further details. She has more contact with students and vocational training centres than I do. However, I know that, when it isn't possible to house students locally, vocational training centres don't create places for foreign students. The idea is to avoid having to send students home because they can't find accommodation.

[Michael Ma, Conservative, Markham—Unionville, ON]

How would you connect the two, then? Are you constantly monitoring the housing situation for students before you do admissions?

[Lysiane van der Knaap]

I'll let you respond, Ms. René.

[Odile René, Regulated Immigration Consultant for International Students, Éducation internationale]

As Ms. van der Knaap said, the vocational training centres, or CFPs, are in the best position. They're directly involved on the ground. They analyze whether there's enough capacity to recruit foreign students. Since they don't recruit a large number of students, they can provide services to welcome students, help them find accommodation, get them settled in, and so on.

The monitoring is carried out more directly in each area.

[Michael Ma, Conservative, Markham—Unionville, ON]

I'll tie this back to an earlier response you gave when you indicated that you're not getting enough international students to fill the classrooms. Then you said that you're only allocating small amounts, just in case there are housing issues.

Can you elaborate on your answers to give us a better perspective of how this program is being managed?

[The Chair, Liberal, Julie Dzerowicz]

You have one minute.

[Lysiane van der Knaap]

I can let Mr. Carette explain how things work at the Alma CFP in terms of targets, the number of students accepted and the impact on the community.

[Jérôme Carette]

I can't speak for the whole province, but I can give a concrete example from the Saguenay—Lac‑Saint‑Jean region.

We implemented mechanisms to ensure that we could properly accommodate international students and foster their inclusion. A first step involved setting ourselves targets. We set ourselves a rate of around 20% of international students in our programs. We felt that we wanted to make sure that the intake process went smoothly and that we could guide students towards obtaining diplomas. We wanted to be able to provide support for the immigration process, but also for the arrival at the airport, the search for accommodation and the cultural adaptation difficulties that may arise along the way.

Two years ago, we set ourselves a limit of 20%. However, last year, 14% of our students were foreign nationals, and this year the figure will fall below 10%. This falls well short of the theoretical capacity that we set for ourselves.

[The Chair, Liberal, Julie Dzerowicz]

Thank you, Mr. Carette.

The time is up.

Thank you, Mr. Ma.

Our last questioner for this session is Ms. Sodhi for five minutes.

[Amandeep Sodhi, Liberal, Brampton Centre, ON]

Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you to our witnesses for being here today.

My first question is for Ms. Sacko.

Canada currently has two programs specifically for francophones, with the first one being the francophone community immigration pilot and the second one being the francophone minority communities student pilot.

Are you able to tell us about your experiences with these programs? What needs do they respond to, and what impact have you observed them to have within the community?

[Bintou Sacko]

I'll start with the francophone minority communities student pilot. I might add that most francophone universities have signed agreements with IRCC so that incoming international students can enrol in the universities and, upon completion of their studies, follow a pathway to permanent residency. This also contributes to the vitality of francophone communities. After spending four years in a francophone community, the international students have learned quite a bit and they have been given a good education. They can then easily opt for permanent residency.

The rural and francophone immigration pilot also seeks to bring in temporary workers who can later gain access to permanent residency. These workers, along with international students, are also eligible for immigrant settlement services in the community. Most international students aren't eligible for this program, except for students who immigrate under this specific pilot project and who attend universities that signed agreements with IRCC.

They can access settlement services, and so can temporary workers who come under the rural and francophone immigration pilot.

[Amandeep Sodhi, Liberal, Brampton Centre, ON]

Thank you for your answer.

Are you able to tell us how federal support programs contributed to settlement success in smaller francophone communities like those in Manitoba? Also, what recommendations do you have to help improve outreach and retention in these regions?

[Bintou Sacko]

In Manitoba, a number of francophone service providers receive funding from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to support francophone immigrants. To this end, a specific pathway has been developed.

The Réseau en immigration francophone du Manitoba also works with the organizations that receive funding from the federal government to better support francophone immigrants who move into the francophone community.

Manitoba is one of the official language minority communities. If we can make one recommendation, we would like to see the increase in targets matched by an increase in financial resources. This will have a real impact on how well these organizations can provide proper service to everyone who comes in. The more we can add resources, the more we can ensure stability and provide the right services for immigrants who come to our communities.

[Amandeep Sodhi, Liberal, Brampton Centre, ON]

That's perfect.

I'll be quick, because I know we're a little short on time.

We know that the government has invested in newcomer women's support, entrepreneurship and language training.

Are you able to tell us what kinds of federal support for immigrant women in particular have been the most impactful?

[The Chair, Liberal, Julie Dzerowicz]

Please give a brief answer.

[Bintou Sacko]

On a national level, a strategy was developed with the Alliance des femmes de la francophonie canadienne. This strategy was launched just last year. Immigrant women are part of this strategy. It's having an impact on the provinces.

To this end, partnerships have been established with centres that provide services to immigrant women who come here. The strategy addresses the isolation of immigrant women and their employability, for example. It also covers training so that these women can go to school and upgrade their skills. Lastly, it includes all the support that these women need to enter the job market and participate in the economy.

[The Chair, Liberal, Julie Dzerowicz]

Thank you, Ms. Sacko.

Thank you very much, Ms. Sacko.

Thank you, Ms. Sodhi.

I'll go to Mr. Menegakis in a minute, but I would like to follow up on a question that Mr. Ma asked.

Ms. van der Knaap, there was a question around whether we should ensure we are meeting the labour needs of the provinces. You have said that you absolutely agree with that.

Do you feel that we have sufficient local and regional skill and labour data, not only in Quebec but across our country? Do you feel that we have sufficient data that is readily available?