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Immigration Minister Marc Miller admitted Wednesday that foreigners are exploiting the generosity of Canadians with bogus refugee claims.

"Those claiming asylum [that] are not legitimate claimants [pose] a challenge to the system," he told reporters. He cited the volume of people looking to come to Canada as an ongoing cause for concern. 

"It is a privilege to come to Canada," Miller said. "It is not a right."

Over the last five years, the number of asylum claims by international students soared an alarming 1,500%, from 1,515 claims in 2018 to 25,465 in 2023. 

The figures show that colleges have more asylum-seeking claims than ever before, with some in Ontario seeing a stark increase. Seneca College had 45 asylum claims in 2018. That number rose 2,400% in 2023 to 1,135 claims.

Immigration Minister Marc Miller admits fake asylum seekers are abusing Canada's generosity, "particularly given the volume of people that are looking to come to Canada. It is a privilege to come to Canada, it is not a right."https://t.co/TXq29qhTJo pic.twitter.com/O97gjpT80p

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) September 18, 2024

At Niagara College, this number rose from 20 to 930, over the same period.

Meanwhile, Conestoga College saw 25 asylum claims among 6,000 study permit holders in 2018. Five years later, the number of claims surged to 665.

While department officials did not break down student asylum claims, its 2023 Annual Report on Immigration, delivered by Minister Miller, detailed the system is overwhelmed.

"The in-Canada asylum system dealt with historic and unprecedented volumes of asylum claims, in the amount of 91,710, in 2022," reads the report. It says many asylum seekers crossed at Roxham Road in Quebec, with the feds providing interim housing and social support "to those in need."

"This marks a 44% increase from the previous record of 64,178 asylum claims in 2019," the report reads. "Irregular crossings (e.g., through Roxham Road) made up 43% of claims in 2022, while refugee claims made inland and at official ports of entry made up 31% and 26%, respectively."

Tom Kmiec, Conservative Shadow Minister for Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada, previously told Rebel News that failed policies have "overwhelmed" our immigration system.

"It is so bad that the current Liberal Immigration Minister himself said the broken system is 'out of control,'" Kmiec said. "The previous Immigration Minister [Sean Fraser] admitted that the system is a 'complete mess,'" he added.

Minister Miller announced in January a cap on international students at roughly 364,000 approved study permits — down 35% from 2023. The feds still failed to contain the explosion of new study permits. 

Government of Canada data shows permit approvals through May this year are outpacing last year at the same period, with Canada now home to 2.6 million non-permanent residents. The feds handed out 216,620 international study permits in the first five months of 2024, compared to 200,205 last May.

Canada accepted a record 1,040,000 foreign students last year, according to immigration data. The number of foreign study permits issued has nearly tripled to 352,305 since 2015.

'Canada will become a third-world country': Maxime Bernier sounds alarm on mass immigration

'I said it and it's part of our platform, we need to deport the illegals,' said Bernier.

People's Party of Canada (PPC) leader @MaximeBernier discussed how unsustainable mass immigration… pic.twitter.com/2Mp4VF0GlN

— Rebel News (@RebelNewsOnline) September 3, 2024

Minister Miller defended his government’s record on foreign students. "If you compare the numbers of people that have come in … from India, we have seen those visas [fall] down from 50,000 in January to less than 10,000 in August," he said.

"It is an indicative sign that the measures that we have taken over the summer after discussions with my provincial colleagues are working," Miller told reporters. He acknowledged: "There's more work to do."

Last year, the feds permitted entry to 800,000 temporary residents, including temporary workers and foreign students. By the end of 2023, Statistics Canada reported 2.6 million non-permanent residents in the country.