I would say it's probably due to cooled relations.
In terms of approval rates, it's important to note that they are primarily a function of recruitment practices of provinces and designated learning institutions. IRCC can't approve an application that doesn't meet the requirements of the program, and those requirements did change, as we've all recognized.
There has been this transition period from a more facilitative approach to a more controlled and disciplined way of managing the program based on allocations and lower numbers. That has created some need for these institutions to look at student recruitment differently, so we are seeing those approval numbers being a little bit lower. However, we do anticipate them to rebound in the future as well.
