International student programs under review in Ottawa, Victoria

The federal government says it’s reviewing its international student program but will not provide details or say when the review will be finished.

The federal Immigration Department also didn’t answer questions about a B.C. survey of 1,300 international students that found many international students get stuck in work unrelated to their field of study and that B.C. has one of the lowest provincial rates of such students getting permanent residency.

New Canadian Media asked the Immigration Department and the B.C. Post-Secondary Education Ministry whether they would adopt the key recommendations from the unpublished report. The recommendations address the use of profit-driven immigration consultants, providing career counselling and other resources specific to international students to find work, and easing the road to permanent residency.