Canada's Population Shrinks After Student Visa Crackdown

Canada's population fell in the third quarter of this year. A government crackdown on international student visas is the main cause. New data from Statistics Canada shows the population dropped by 0.2%. It went from 41.65 million in July to 41.6 million by the end of September. This is only the second quarterly decline ever recorded. The first was during COVID-19 travel restrictions. The drop signals a major shift. Canada has relied on high immigration to fuel its economic growth for years. The government recently introduced stricter rules for foreign students. This policy change has directly led to fewer people entering the country.