EXCLUSIVE: Government refuses to release data on how many ‘temporary’ migrants leave Canada
The Canada Border Services Agency is refusing to release data on how many international students & temporary foreign workers actually leave the country when their permits expire.
Despite confirming it collects individual entry and exit information on all travellers, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is refusing to release data on how many international students and temporary foreign workers actually leave the country when their visa permits expire.
In response to a True North inquiry, the CBSA confirmed it collects exit information at land and air border crossings. This data is used to confirm whether individuals remain in the country after their authorized stay ends.
A CBSA spokesperson told True North the data is applied on a “case-by-case basis” to support immigration enforcement. However, “aggregate data on specific cohorts, including international students and temporary workers, is not available.”
The federal government, through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), publishes detailed arrival numbers but cannot tally how many temporary residents depart Canada once their visas expire.
The CBSA stated its entry-exit system helps officers identify visa overstays, target enforcement, and track departures of high-risk people or goods.
CBSA refused to disclose how many foreign students and workers left Canada in recent years. True North also asked the IRCC for exit data but did not receive a response.
The refusal comes as Canada continues to deal with the consequences of mass migration which Finance Canada admitted is causing an “unprecedented population surge” with serious consequences for housing, wages and cost of living for Canadians.
Federal data shows that more than 817,000 newcomers were admitted in the first four months of 2025 alone, including 132,100 new permanent residents, 194,000 study permits and 491,400 work permits.
WATCH CANDICE MALCOLM BREAK DOWN THE EXCLUSIVE STORY, WITH REACTION FROM MP MICHELLE REMPEL GARNER!
Statistics Canada estimates that Canada’s population of ‘non-permanent residents’ sits at just under 3 million, up from just 743,000 in 2016.
Prime Minister Mark Carney has pledged to reduce the number of temporary residents to five per cent of the national population by 2027. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada still reports a backlog of more than two million applications.
The Liberals’ plan banks on over 1.2 million temporary residents, including international students and temporary foreign workers, voluntarily leaving Canada when their visa permits expire.
The Government’s own data estimates that up to half a million people live in Canada currently illegally, without legal immigration status, a number that could soon swell if existing temporary residents do not leave when their permits lapse.
Recently, it was revealed that 600 convicted foreign criminals remain at large, bringing into question whether any effort will be made to address those who overstay their visas.
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These civil servants should be 1- named and shamed, 2- fired. It is beyond irresponsible to sit there collecting wages from our taxes while throwing fuel onto an out of control fire! The minister responsible should be on trial for Treason. There is no reason to hide the data other than it says none of these fools is doing their job, and all are screwing over Canada.