Canada’s federal government is preparing to overhaul how it monitors people on temporary visas leaving the country, as concerns grow over expired permits, rising asylum claims, and public confidence in the immigration system.
Immigration Minister Lena Diab says her department plans to begin tracking the departure of temporary residents, including international students and foreign workers, using new digital tools. Speaking recently to The Canadian Press, Diab acknowledged that Canada currently lacks a straightforward way to determine how many temporary visa holders leave the country once their permits expire.
“There are a number of countries around the world that already track this, and I believe Canada should too,” Diab said. “We didn’t have the capability before, but this is something we need to work toward.”
The comments come as Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) data show that nearly 1.9 million temporary visas are set to expire this year. In 2025 alone, more than 2.5 million temporary permits expired between January 1 and July 31, according to a departmental response to a parliamentary question. More recent figures have yet to be released.
The issue of temporary residents overstaying their visas has been a flashpoint in Parliament since mid-2025, with Opposition Conservatives accusing the Liberal government of failing to enforce immigration rules.
During House of Commons debates last June, Diab said the expectation is that temporary residents leave Canada voluntarily when their status expires, noting that deportations fall under the responsibility of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), not her department.
Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel Garner challenged that position, arguing that many people are not leaving as required. She pressed the government on how many individuals subject to deportation orders announced in late 2024 had actually been removed. Diab did not provide a direct answer, again pointing to the CBSA’s role.
CBSA officials have also acknowledged system limitations. In testimony before a parliamentary committee last October, CBSA vice-president Aaron McCrorie said the agency can track who leaves Canada, along with travel details such as dates and documents used. However, it cannot automatically determine whether someone departed because their visa expired.
“Our systems aren’t designed to do that kind of analysis at a systematic level,” McCrorie said, adding that such checks can only be done on a case-by-case basis, which is time-consuming and resource-intensive.
IRCC data also reveal that temporary visa holders account for a large share of asylum claims in Canada. Between January 2020 and September 2025, the department recorded a steady rise in claims, peaking in 2024 with 190,485 applications.
That year, nearly 59 percent of claims more than 112,000 came from people who entered Canada on temporary resident visas. Study permit holders accounted for about 11 percent. Of the 46,475 asylum claims approved in 2024, 14 percent were from temporary residents and 20 percent from international students.
In response, the Liberal government has introduced Bill C-12, the Strengthening Canada’s Immigration System and Borders Act, which is currently before the Senate. The legislation would make it harder for individuals to file asylum claims if they have been in Canada for more than one year.
The government is also tightening immigration targets. Budget 2025 outlines plans to hold permanent resident admissions at 380,000 per year from 2026 to 2028, down from 395,000 in 2025 and significantly lower than the 485,000 target set for 2024.
Temporary resident admissions are also set to decline sharply, from nearly 674,000 in 2025 to 385,000 in 2026, and further to 370,000 in 2027 and 2028. IRCC data show that about 305,000 workers and students arrived in Canada during the first 11 months of 2025.
Diab says these measures, along with new digital immigration services such as online visa processing and limited passport renewals, are aimed at restoring public trust in Canada’s immigration system.
“We need a system that is fair, credible, and modern,” she said. “Tracking departures is one piece of making sure Canadians can have confidence in how immigration is managed.”
