Canada tightens tourist visa norms

CANADA has tightened its tourist-visa policy as it looks to curtail migration amid a surge in population.

It has ended the earlier norm of issuing 10-year multiple-entry visas and the revised norms allow immigration officers more discretion in determining visa types and validity.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) said that immigration officers can now look at several factors while issuing a visa, including the purpose of the visit and whether applicants can fund their travel to Canada.

They will also assess if an applicant has “demonstrated strong ties to their home country” — that is, whether they have a job or familial obligations, and whether they have complied with visa rules during their previous travels to Canada.

Earlier in September, Canada had announced that international student permits will be slashed next year.

In 2025, Ottawa plans to issue 437,000 study permits to international students, down from 485,000 this year and more than 500,000 in 2023.

It has also tightened foreign worker rules to bring down the number of temporary residents in the country.

The country is trying to tame record immigration, that has pushed Canada's population past 41 million earlier this year.

Prime minister Justin Trudeau's government has pointed to the high immigration as straining the country's housing sector, jobs market and social services.

It is also putting new limits on work permits for spouses of some international students and foreign workers. (Agencies)