As Ottawa moves to include graduate students in its cap on international study permits, experts and advocates alike are raising questions about the need for the move, and suggesting it could prompt top talent to look elsewhere.

Students joining mastersa国际传媒檚, doctoral and postdoctoral programs were previously exempt from the overall cap on international students that Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced in January.

But they are now included in a further reduction of student visas he announced this week, alongside other measures that seek to add stability to a ballooning population of temporary residents.

Ian Wereley, executive director of the Canadian Association for Graduate Studies, said the news landed without warning or consultation.

sa国际传媒淎ll those I spoke to felt surprised or even blindsided by the announcement,sa国际传媒� he said in an email, describing the sector as sa国际传媒渁lready in a state of crisis.sa国际传媒�

Itsa国际传媒檚 a move that inflicts sa国际传媒渟ignificant damagesa国际传媒� on Canadasa国际传媒檚 reputation as an international education destination, he said.

Miller acknowledged in his announcement, speaking in French, that the kinds of students coming to Canada to pursue mastersa国际传媒檚 degrees and PhDs are sa国际传媒渂etter preparedsa国际传媒� to succeed in Canada, and that they respond well to the needs of the Canadian job market.

Thatsa国际传媒檚 why 12 per cent of international student visas will be reserved for graduate students, he said. His office later clarified thatsa国际传媒檚 in line with their historical share of the student population.

Numbers shared by U15 Canada, an association of 15 public research universities, suggest current levels of graduate students are already below the new cap sa国际传媒� and that this group has not been significantly contributing to the bloated numbers of temporary residents Ottawa is trying to address.

The associationsa国际传媒檚 internal calculations found that there would still have been room for thousands more students last year and an even bigger number this year if the cap had been in place. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada did not immediately respond to a request for the latest figures.

Chad Gaffield, CEO of the U15 group, said graduate programs competing for the worldsa国际传媒檚 best and brightest were not really the problem when it came to mismanagement in the world of foreign student immigration.

sa国际传媒淚 heard no justification,sa国际传媒� he said, for why graduate students should be part of the cap, which research has already shown is causing fewer students to apply to study in Canada.

Asked for a rationale, Millersa国际传媒檚 office said the idea is to prevent bad actors from finding ways to get around the rules.

sa国际传媒淲hat we didnsa国际传媒檛 want is institutions creating fake graduate programs just to find a loophole,sa国际传媒� said spokeswoman Aissa Diop.

For Gaffield, theresa国际传媒檚 a risk that research universities sa国际传媒� and by extension, sectors that need professionals with highly specialized education sa国际传媒� will end up as sa国际传媒渃ollateral damagesa国际传媒� in the governmentsa国际传媒檚 effort to reduce numbers and target fraud.

The worldsa国际传媒檚 most talented scholars are usually juggling multiple offers, often from multiple countries, he said, making it a sa国际传媒渧ery, very competitive environment.sa国际传媒�

While Canada has built up a reputation over decades for welcoming them with open arms, he suggested thatsa国际传媒檚 changing: sa国际传媒淭he headline is going to be, and has been, that Canada is not as welcoming as we have been traditionally.sa国际传媒�

Steve Orsini, president and CEO of the Council of Ontario Universities, said the cap creates sa国际传媒渇urther complexity to the application processsa国际传媒� and could dissuade highly skilled students from choosing Canada.

sa国际传媒淭his could impact advanced degrees in fields such as engineering, health care, life sciences, AI and more.sa国际传媒�

Some of those specialized programs already rely heavily on international student admissions, said Fahim Quadir, graduate studies dean at Queensa国际传媒檚 University.

Even if the total number of current graduate students doesnsa国际传媒檛 seem to exceed the cap, the distribution of permits could mean that such programs suffer significantly, he said in an email.

sa国际传媒淪TEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) programs, in particular, could face an existential crisis,sa国际传媒� he wrote.

sa国际传媒淢any programs, I tend to think, would struggle to survive, and some could face a completely uncertain future.sa国际传媒�

Andr茅 C么t茅, director of policy and research at The Dais, a think tank within Toronto Metropolitan University, said the broader policy goal of moving towards sustainable numbers is appropriate.

But even if this weeksa国际传媒檚 announcement discourages just a few high achievers, he said, thatsa国际传媒檚 enough to have a negative effect.

In addition to the cap, Ottawa is tightening restrictions on spousal work permits for some students. Starting later this year, spouses of mastersa国际传媒檚 degree students will only be eligible to work in Canada if their partnersa国际传媒檚 program is at least 16 months in duration.

Immigration lawyer Barbara Jo Caruso agreed that spousal restrictions can be major deterrents for graduate students, especially since there is already a huge price tag on their programs.

Caruso, who is the founding partner of Corporate Immigration Law Firm in Toronto, said she isnsa国际传媒檛 surprised to see the government trying to move towards more stability in the overall system.

But she was skeptical that the graduate student population is even a sa国际传媒渄rop in the bucketsa国际传媒� of the problem Ottawa is trying to tackle.

sa国际传媒淚t seems to me that theysa国际传媒檙e doing things to look like theysa国际传媒檙e doing things,sa国际传媒� she said. sa国际传媒淚 cansa国际传媒檛 really imagine that, now, including the graduates in this cap is really going to make that big of a difference.sa国际传媒�