As a result of their deliberations committees may make recommendations which they include in their reports for the consideration of the House of Commons or the Government. Recommendations related to this study are listed below.

Increase Dialogue between the Governments of Quebec and Canada

Recommendation 1

That Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada increase the dialogue between the Governments of Quebec and Canada to ensure that the Canada–Quebec Accord is respected on both sides, including Quebec’s selection of applicants. 18

Review and Expand the Student Direct Stream

Recommendation 2

That Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada review the Student Direct Stream, its criteria and its fair applicability across different countries and expand the Student Direct Stream to other countries in Africa, such as Nigeria and Ghana, including Francophone nations, and Asia, such as Bangladesh. 22

Explore Alternative Mechanisms for the Validation of Financial Information

Recommendation 3

That Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, in light of the testimony highlighting the challenges surrounding the validation of financial information of prospective international students, explore alternative mechanisms to perform this validation; and that the Government of Canada encourage the expansion of partnerships between Canadian and international financial institutions. 22

Review the Criteria of the Nigeria Student Express Program

Recommendation 4

That Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada review the criteria for the Nigeria Student Express program, reconsider its financial requirements in light of other existing programs for international students, such as the Student Direct Stream, and remove the English language proficiency requirement for Nigerian students in order to ensure a fairness of requirements across programs. 24

Publish Information about the Nigeria Student Express Program

Recommendation 5

That Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada publish on its website information about the Nigeria Student Express pilot program and its criteria to better inform prospective international students, Canadian educational institutions and other partners in the international education sector. 24

Reduce High Refusal Rates for Student Visas to Meet Francophone Immigration Targets and Address the Labour Shortage

Recommendation 6

That Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada provide a comprehensive plan on how to reduce the high rates of refusal for student visas, in order to help meet francophone immigration targets and address the labour shortage in Canada, including in Quebec. 27

Issue Directive with Respect to Francophone Immigration

Recommendation 7

That Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada issue to all Canadian visa offices a directive reminding them of the federal government’s obligations with respect to francophone immigration. 28

Promote Canada as a Study Destination

Recommendation 8

That the Government of Canada, provinces and territories, and designated learning institutions work together to find new and innovative ways to better promote Canada as a study destination for international students, and for the purposes of retention put special consideration on how to better inform French-speaking prospective students about the opportunities to study in French outside of Quebec. 31

Regulate the Educational Service Provider Industry

Recommendation 9

That Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada work with provincial and territorial counterparts, as well as Canadian designated learning institutions, to regulate recruiters in the international educational sector, and ensure that the information packages provided to these recruiters include information on how student applicants can safeguard themselves against fraud. 31

Ensure Simple, Accurate and Coherent Information is Available

Recommendation 10

That Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada ensure that simple and accurate information about applications is always available, and that Global Affairs Canada and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada are always presenting consistent information. 31

Standardize Tuition Reimbursement Policies

Recommendation 11

That Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada promote standardizing tuition reimbursement policies for Canadian and Quebec universities and institutions when an individual’s study permit application is refused. 34

Provide Data on Study Permit Processing Times

Recommendation 12

That Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada provide data on study permit processing times and reasons for refusal, broken down by applicants’ country of origin and other available demographic variables, in the department’s Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration. 36

Review and Ease the International Student Selection Criteria and Processes

Recommendation 13

That Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada review international student selection criteria and processes, make the study permit application process more transparent, reduce application processing times, and allow more flexibility for the evidence used to establish that an applicant meets the financial criteria. 51

Provide Consistent Processing Times

Recommendation 14

That Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada work to provide for consistent processing times for the same application categories across different visa offices. 51

Review and Clarify Dual Intent Provision

Recommendation 15

That Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada review and clarify the dual intent provision, sections 20(1)(b) and 22(2) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, so that the intention of settling in Canada does not jeopardize an individual’s chances of getting a study permit. 54

Evaluate Students on Their Potential and Value to Canadian Institutions and Communities

Recommendation 16

That Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada evaluate students on their potential and value to Canadian institutions and communities, not on their ties to their home countries. 55

Provide More Transparency in Refusals

Recommendation 17

That Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada publish the guidelines given to its officers, provide the acceptance criteria for study permits and visas, and further offer more fulsome justifications to applicants for the refusal of their applications. 57

Create Direct Lines of Communications

Recommendation 18

That Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada create direct lines of communication between visa offices and designated learning institutions so that they may share information on an on-going basis about student applications, provided that the institution is authorized by the student to do so. 57

Conduct and Publish Regular Reports on the Results of Ant-Racist and Anti-Oppression Trainings

Recommendation 19

That Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada conduct and publish regular reports similar to the Pollara Strategic Insights Report, and that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada provide regular metrics on the results of the anti-racist and anti‑oppression trainings undertaken by the department. 61

Collect Race-Based Data

Recommendation 20

That Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada collect race-based data and that offices with high refusal rates be automatically audited by a third party. 62

Conduct a Study of the Anti-Black and Anti-Francophone African Racism in Canada’s Immigration History

Recommendation 21

That Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada conduct a detailed bilingual study of the social history of anti-Black and anti-Francophone African racism in Canadian immigration to ensure mistakes are not repeated. 62

Publish information about Chinook

Recommendation 22

That Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada publish information on all artificial intelligence software programs and e-tools, including but not limited to Chinook, to ensure better transparency in the department’s processing and use of automation. 70

Undertake Public Consultations Regarding New Technologies

Recommendation 23

That Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada undertake meaningful public consultations on the deployment of new technologies to process immigration applications, including automated technologies, Chinook and artificial intelligence. 70

Conduct a Gender-Based Analysis Plus of Chinook

Recommendation 24

That Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada conduct a Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA+) of the Chinook software program and its impact on the processing of temporary resident visas, and publish a report on the findings. 70

Audit Chinook

Recommendation 25

That Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada submit the Chinook software program to a third-party audit and publish the audit report. 70

Conduct an Algorithmic Impact Assessment and Independent Race-Equity Review of Chinook

Recommendation 26

That Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada ensure Chinook goes through a proper algorithmic impact assessment and independent race-equity review. 70

Require Independent Oversight for Chinook and Artificial Intelligence Tools

Recommendation 27

That Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada require independent oversight for both Chinook and the expansion of artificial intelligence and offer greater transparency regarding the algorithmic impact assessments, privacy assessments and equity consultations that the processes undergo. 71

Provide Additional Resources and Infrastructure for Processing in Africa and South Asia

Recommendation 28

That Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada provide additional resources for immigration processing in visa offices currently in Africa and South Asia, review its international network and add additional visa offices or visa application centres in Africa and South Asia. 73

Conduct Blind Reviews of a Sample of Applications

Recommendation 29

That Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada conduct regular blind reviews of a sample of applications from random visa offices in each region of the department’s international network to verify consistency in decision-making. 73

Establish an Ombudsperson Office at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

Recommendation 30

That Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada establish an ombudsperson office to oversee the department’s immigration operations and policies. 74

Provide Appropriate Resources for the Establishment of an Ombudsperson Office

Recommendation 31

That Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada provide the appropriate resources for the establishment of an ombudsperson’s office to review the department’s policies, receive and review complaints, review regular reports on racism and training procedures; and that the office be empowered to take appropriate enforcement measures in relation to these activities. 74

Issue Work Permits to Students in Co-op Programs

Recommendation 32

That Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada issue a work permit automatically and at no extra cost at the same time as study permits for students enrolled in a co‑op program. 78

Not Require Work Permits for Work-Integrated Learning

Recommendation 33

That Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada recognize that students enrolling in specific learning programs will be doing work-integrated learning, such as internships, and that in the context of these studies no work permit is necessary. 79

Develop a Special Program for International Students Without Financial Means

Recommendation 34

That Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada develop a special program that would allow international students without financial means to come to Canada and work full-time on an open work permit while studying part-time, and that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada review the requirements to ensure that these students are not disqualified from the Post-Graduate Work Permit Program. 79

Fund Tailored Settlement Services for International Students

Recommendation 35

That Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada partially fund tailored settlement services for international students on their path to permanent residency, as well as parallel sponsorship measures for those who want to obtain permanent residency. 80