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Canada launches sudden immigration crackdown amid public pressure: report
The number of foreign travelers turned away at the Canadian border has risen 20% since 2023
By Michael Lee Fox News
Published September 5, 2024 11:40am EDT
The Canadian government has started to reject more visitors and temporary residents as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s liberal government faces pressure from voters to stem the flow of immigrants into the country.
Canada has turned away more than 3,700 people per month on average in 2024 and sometimes has refused more visitor visa applications per month than it has accepted, according to a report by Reuters.
The "spike" in rejections, as Reuters classified it, comes as Trudeau’s party trails in the polls ahead of an expected election next year, with many voters blaming the country’s typical liberal immigration laws for contributing to shortages and high prices for housing.
The report comes after Trudeau has also faced increased pressure and strained relations with the U.S. over its liberal immigration policies, with U.S. lawmakers imploring Canada to stem the flow of migrant workers coming across its border.
"U.S. lawmakers are calling to harden the northern border with Canada because of the fears of illegal migration from Canada," Glenn Cowan, founder and chief executive of the security company One9, said in a Financial Times report last week. "Stemming the flow of these visas will bolster U.S. relations."
Trudeau has in the past boasted about Canada’s willingness to take in immigrants and has not shied away from criticizing U.S. border policy, including 2018 remarks in which he slammed the U.S. for separating migrant families at the border, arguing "what’s going on in the United States is wrong."
"I can’t imagine what the families living through this are enduring. Obviously, this is not the way we do things in Canada," Trudeau said during a press conference.
However, amid new pressure from home and abroad, Trudeau announced last week that he was "looking at the various [migration] streams to make sure, as we move forward, Canada remains a place that is positive in its support for immigration but also responsible in the way we integrate and make pathways for success."
According to the Reuters report, a crackdown behind the scenes was already underway, with Canada turning away 5,853 foreign travelers in July, a number that includes workers and tourists, the most rejections since at least January 2019.
Border officers have also turned away an average of 3,727 foreign travelers per month so far in 2024, a 20% increase over the 633 average seen in 2023, while the country’s immigration department has seen an increase in the ratio of visas refused to accepted in recent months.
Meanwhile, Canadian Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced in August that the number of approved study and work permits, which have been at the center of controversy in Canada, has also dropped from the highs of 2022 and 2023.
"Canadians want a system that is not out of control," Miller said, according to the report.
Trudeau’s office did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.
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