What international students should expect from the 2025 Canadian federal election
By Josie Simon, April 24 2025—
As Canada approaches its federal election on Apr. 28, over 1,000,000 international students are at the centre of a political debate. Following the Liberal government’s Oct. 2024 policy shift that reduced permanent resident targets by 21 per cent and implemented the first caps on temporary residents, international students face an uncertain future. This article examines how a Liberal or Conservative government would affect international students and considers the NDP’s influence.
The current landscape
The context for this election is different from previous cycles. After years of growing Canada’s international student population, the Liberal government reversed course in response to housing shortages, healthcare strains and shifting public sentiment. Post-secondary institutions that had come to depend on international student tuition now face severe budget shortfalls. Seneca College closed a campus, Sheridan College halted enrollment in over 40 programs, and the University of Waterloo implemented a hiring freeze.
Liberal Party under Mark Carney
If the Liberal Party wins under Prime Minister Mark Carney, international students should expect continued restrictions implemented in late 2024. Carney has committed to maintaining current immigration caps until Canada addresses key infrastructure challenges.
“There’s not adequate housing [and] not everyone who came here for an education was getting an education that they would expect,” Carney said when announcing his candidacy. He emphasized that caps will remain “until we’ve expanded housing” and improved infrastructure.
The Liberal approach focuses on stabilization rather than growth. Their plan aims to reduce the temporary resident population to 5 per cent of Canada’s total population by the end of 2025.
Carney has identified systemic issues in education funding, noting that “transfers from provincial coffers have been frozen, leaving universities to rely completely on international students for growth.” This suggests a Liberal government might work toward more sustainable funding models while maintaining current restrictions.
For international students, this means continued restricted access to study permits, more selective admission criteria, limited pathways to permanent residency in the short term, and a potential shift toward quality over quantity in international education.
Conservative Party under Pierre Poilievre
International students can expect more significant changes if the Conservative Party forms government under Pierre Poilievre. Poilievre has been vocal about what he calls a “broken” immigration system requiring substantial reform.
While acknowledging that most international students are “hardworking, decent people,” he frames the issue primarily as a housing problem: “You can’t add people four times faster than you add homes,” he told supporters at a rally in Ontario. “Pretty quick you’re going to run out of places for people to live.”
The Conservative platform includes promises to “cap immigration and stop the radical Century Initiative” in the immigration system. They would tie population growth directly to housing construction, suggesting international student admissions could be linked to housing availability.
Poilievre has repeatedly emphasized the need to crack down on fraud in the international student system. This suggests a Conservative government would implement stricter oversight of colleges and universities recruiting internationally, targeting those with poor graduation rates or limited job prospects.
For international students, a Conservative government would likely mean continued or further restrictions on study permits, increased focus on quality assurance and fraud prevention, more selective permanent residency pathways, additional scrutiny during application processes, and potentially higher financial proof requirements.
The NDP influence
While the New Democratic Party (NDP) won’t form the government or become the official opposition, they could influence policy in a minority government scenario.
The NDP emphasizes improving conditions for immigrants already in Canada rather than focusing on caps. “If someone is good enough to work in Canada, they’re good enough to live in Canada,” the party maintains, advocating for permanent residency pathways for international students and temporary workers.
The NDP proposes establishing a blue-ribbon panel to review appropriate immigration levels and ending closed work permits to help temporary workers avoid abusive employers. This reform would impact international students’ work experiences.
Conclusion
The best outcome for international students would likely be a Liberal minority government influenced by the NDP. This combination would maintain reasonable immigration levels while potentially creating clearer pathways to permanent residency. While both major parties plan to keep some restrictions, the Liberal-NDP approach would likely be more balanced and supportive of international students already in Canada.
If you’re eligible to vote, remember to cast your ballot on Apr. 28.
This article is a part of our Opinions section and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Gauntlet editorial board.