Maple News reports that a new study by Statistics Canada has uncovered a striking trend: in 2019, nearly 24% of individuals with Canadian study permits for post-secondary education were not enrolled in a public post-secondary institution. This translates to over 172,000 international permit holders who did not attend a Canadian college or university that year, despite having authorization to do so.
The study, conducted by researchers Youjin Choi and Feng Hou, aims to better understand the behavior of international students who come to Canada on study permits but do not pursue formal education. Out of those who remained unenrolled, more than half (approximately 93,800) stayed in Canada and engaged in alternative activities, many of them joining the workforce.
Interestingly, a significant portion of these individuals—about one-third—also held temporary work permits and took up jobs, some of which allowed full-time employment. This combination of study and work authorization is common in programs such as co-op education. However, the data shows that most unenrolled students were not working in high-skilled co-op placements, but rather in lower-skilled industries with high turnover and large part-time labor demands.
According to the findings, 70% of these working students were employed in sectors such as accommodation and food services (31.2%), retail and wholesale trade (22%), and business or building support services (17.1%). These types of jobs generally do not require advanced education or specialized training, raising questions about the actual intent behind the issuance of study permits.
While this doesn’t necessarily violate immigration or labour laws—since many students are allowed up to 20 hours of work per week during academic sessions—it raises concerns that study permits may be increasingly used as a backdoor pathway for employment, rather than for education.
Moreover, the presence of unenrolled international students poses broader socioeconomic challenges. Maple News notes that these students, who are ineligible for on-campus housing, may be contributing to the housing crisis in major provinces like Ontario and British Columbia by putting additional pressure on rental markets.
The study’s limitations include a lack of data on students enrolled in private institutions, as well as incomplete information about income and long-term economic contributions, leaving policy makers without a full picture of the impact this group has on Canada’s economy and infrastructure.
Given the growing number of international students, Maple News suggests that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) may need to exert greater oversight to ensure that study permits are being used appropriately, aligning with Canada’s immigration and education policy goals.