British Columbia announces two-year ban on Nigerians, other international students

A Canadian province, British Columbia has banned tertiary institutions from admitting Nigerians and international students for the next two years.

Marc Miller, the federal immigration minister, recently revealed this in a statement.

Miller says the announcement states that the province is addressing “exploitative practices” in the system, and the goal of the move is to reduce the number of new student visas issued by 35 percent for the current year.

British Columbia’s premier, David Eby, emphasised the significance of resolving problems with the international education system, acknowledging its critical role in the social and economic fabric of the province.

“There are a wide array of private institutions, big and small, in our province, but regardless of the institution’s size, our expectations of the level of quality are the same.

“There are institutions that are not meeting our expectations right now,” he said.

It was gathered that in the first half of 2023, nearly 18,000 study permits were granted to Nigerians in Canada, surpassing all other countries except India.