International students audit reveals gaps as Canada failed to investigate thousands of flagged cases

Canada’s international students programme has “fallen short” on improving integrity, according to a new report by the auditor general, raising concerns about oversight and enforcement.

The report, tabled in the House of Commons, found that more than 153,000 potentially non-compliant international students were flagged by post-secondary institutions between 2023 and 2024.

However, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada was only able to investigate about 2,000 cases per year.

Within those cases, 1,654 students did not respond to inquiries, and “the department took limited action to confirm non-compliance beyond contacting the student for more information,” according to the report.

Auditor General Karen Hogan said the findings were troubling.

“I think they’re just not acting on the information they have,” she told reporters. “And I would expect them to do that. They have the powers and the tools. They just need to use them.”

The audit also found that officials did not follow up on around 800 individuals who used fraudulent documents.

Many later received additional permits, and more than 100 were approved for permanent residency.

Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab said in a statement the government would act on the findings. It will “accept the auditor general’s recommendations to strengthen follow-up where suspected fraud or non-compliance is identified. We will act to improve these processes.”

The report also raised concerns about tracking, with officials unable to confirm whether some students had left Canada after their permits expired.