Canada is set to reduce the number of international students and work permits issued in 2025, a move expected to impact many Nigerians.

The country’s Immigration Minister, Marc Miller, announced the changes on Wednesday, September 18, citing the need to manage high immigration levels, straining Canada’s housing, job market, and social services.

“It is a privilege to come to Canada. It is not a right,” Miller stated during the press conference.

He further explained that Ottawa plans to issue 437,000 study permits next year, a drop from the 485,000 permits issued in 2024 and the over 500,000 granted in 2023.

This policy shift is part of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government’s broader strategy to reduce the number of temporary residents.

Canada’s population surged past 41 million earlier this year, and concerns over housing shortages and job availability have sparked a reevaluation of immigration policies.

Among the changes, restrictions on work permits for spouses of international students and foreign workers will be introduced, and enhanced checks on travel visas will be implemented to curb fraudulent asylum claims.

Ottawa has already pledged to reduce the percentage of temporary residents in Canada from 6.8 per cent, recorded in April, to just five per cent.

This will likely affect many Nigerian students and workers seeking opportunities in Canada.

The new regulations are expected to pose significant challenges for those hoping to study or work in the country, especially Nigerians, who form a substantial portion of Canada’s international student community.

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) plans to admit 825,000 people with disability (PWD) by 2029.

The board is hosting education stakeholders and foreign nationals at the Africa Regional Conference on Equal Opportunity of Access to Higher Education (ARCEAHED) on September 17 and 18.

Yusuf Sununu, the minister of state for education, spoke at the conference in Maitama, Abuja on Tuesday.

He said JAMB, at the 67th National Council on Education meeting in December 2023, obtained approval to waive post-UTME for PWDs.

“This initiative, together with the ambitious target to enrol 825,000 students with disabilities cumulatively over the next five years, demonstrates our unwavering commitment to realizing equal access to education,” he said.

“All tertiary institutions in Nigeria are to offer admissions to all candidates with disabilities who possess minimum admissible scores into the programmes of their choice after writing UTME.”

At ARCEAHED, stakeholders discussed emerging issues on access to higher education and economic empowerment for PWDs.

Sununu said it is the responsibility of governments, academic institutions, the private sector, and civil society to ensure that PWDs are not left behind.

He said stakeholder interventions must focus on three areas, including the need to create inclusive education infrastructure, empower PWDs through economic inclusion, and embark on policy advocacy through the implementation of laws protecting PWD rights.

“We have to create opportunities between institutions of education, industries, and governments to develop ways that would take persons with disabilities from education to employment,” the minister said.

“The enactment and implementation of laws to protect the rights of persons with disabilities ensuring they have equal access to education, health, and employment facilities are very essential.

“Tertiary institutions should not only be admitting students with disabilities.

“They should be taking absolute care about accessibility in their campuses through the addition of necessary ramps, elevators, assistive technologies, and other accommodations that would make learning possible and comfortable for all.

“Teaching aids such as braille, interpreters in sign language, and digital materials prepared for various skills should be provided.”

The regional conference will host participants from African countries including Ethiopia, Malawi, and Egypt.

The Oyo State Government has announced the release of the 2024 screening and placement results for primary six pupils transitioning into Junior Secondary Schools and Schools of Science.

In a statement signed by the state Commissioner for Education, Science, and Technology, Salihu Adelabu, in Ibadan on Tuesday, it was stated: “Head Teachers/Principals should visit their respective Local Inspector of Education offices to collect the screening/placement results.”

The statement further noted that pupils transitioning to the Schools of Science are expected to visit their respective science schools to obtain results.

The Commissioner added that the results were released last week.