Canada moves to protect students from Nigeria, others against fraud

Canada has unveiled new measures to protect students from Nigeria and other countries against fraud.

Marc Miller, Canada’s immigration minister, who revealed this on Friday, said the measures will strengthen international student program integrity and the well-being of genuine students.

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“International students are talented, bright and deserving of a positive experience as they pursue their studies in Canada. We will continue to improve Canada’s International Student Program by protecting students and weeding out those who try to take advantage of them. Whether an international student stays and works after graduation or returns home, we want their time as a student in Canada to have been beneficial to their growth and aspirations,” he said in a statement.

The statement added that effective from December 1, 2023, post-secondary designated learning institutions (DLIs) will have a new obligation to verify every applicant’s letter of acceptance directly with the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

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“This enhanced verification process will shield potential students from fraudulent acceptance letters, preventing incidents like those witnessed earlier this year due to fraud investigations.

“It aims to ensure that study permits are only granted based on authentic letters of acceptance.”

Miller also noted that IRCC will conduct its first review of the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) in 10 years and will announce reforms in the coming months.

He said the goal is to calibrate the the PGWP to address Canada’s labour shortages in areas of the economy with a greater need, as well as regional and Francophone immigration goals.

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According to IRCC, Africa’s biggest economy moved up by four places, ranking fifth position on the top source countries of international students that entered Canada in 2022,

BusinessDay’s analysis of the IRCC data shows that the number of new study permits issued by Canada to Nigeria rose by 17.8 percent to 16,195 as of December 31, 2022, the highest on record from 13,745 in the same period of 2021.