Who gets left behind during immigration cuts?

from The Big Story · host Shilpashree Jagannathan, Maria Kestane, Sharry Aiken

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has made drastic cuts to the amount of student and temporary foreign worker visas issued to newcomers. Impacted by the cuts are not just school programs, but local restaurants, hotels, long-term care homes, construction sites, etc. Host Maria Kestane speaks is joined by Shilpashree Jagannathan, a freelance journalist who wrote an article on the effects of immigration cuts on local communities. After the break, she speaks to Sharry Aiken, an immigration law professor at Queen's University to break down why the IRCC is making all these changes to its policies. You can read Shilpashree's article here: https://thewalrus.ca/immigration-cuts-are-hollowing-out-small-communities-across-canada/ We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:Through email at [email protected] Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jul 14, 2026

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What this episode covers

Canada has begun accepting far fewer immigrants, with the number we accept becoming a larger part of the national discussion over the last few years. We often talk about how it's affected colleges and universities, as well the temporary foreign worker system. But what's rarely covered is how it's made a change in small towns. Today on The Big Story, co-host Maria Kestane speaks with Shilpashree Jagannathan, a journalist covering immigration in Canada, about how new restrictions have led to declining populations.