The IRPP’s Centre of Excellence on the Canadian Federation continues its research series Canada’s Changing Immigration Landscape with a new policy brief by Dr. Lisa Brunner, one of Canada’s most respected researchers in migration and education at the University of British Columbia.
Once hailed as a global leader in combining higher education and immigration, Canada’s international student policy is now at a crossroads. In her paper, Dr. Brunner outlines how fragmented governance, funding dependency, and opaque immigration pathways have strained public confidence and institutional integrity.
But solutions are within reach, she argues, beginning with a renewed international education strategy — one that is collaborative, cross-sectoral, and grounded in long-term planning. The paper recommends:
- Making immigration pathways for students clear and predictable;
- Public investment to reduce institutional reliance on international tuition;
- Universally accessible settlement services with shared accountability;
- Stronger regulation and transparency in recruitment practices.
By rebalancing the policy landscape toward sustainability and ethical responsibility, Canada can better support international students while protecting its global reputation and economic resilience.
This paper builds on the series’ broader goal: connecting global migration trends to Canadian realities and translating complex data into actionable insights. Canada’s Changing Immigration Landscape is a joint initiative with Concordia University’s Institute for Research on Migration and Society (IRMS) and the University of British Columbia’s Centre for Migration Studies. The series will continue to share relevant insights and data through 2025 and 2026.
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