Immigration cuts are reshaping Vancouver's restaurants, hotels and construction sectors

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has made drastic cuts to the amount of student and temporary foreign worker visas issued to newcomers, impacting not just school programs but also local restaurants, hotels, long-term care homes, and construction sites across Vancouver and the broader region.

The policy shifts are reshaping hiring across the city's service and hospitality sectors. Businesses that have long relied on international talent are now confronting significant labour gaps, with recruitment experts warning of cascading effects through the fall and winter.

A CityNews Vancouver podcast released July 14 examined the fallout. Host Maria Kestane spoke with Shilpashree Jagannathan, a freelance journalist who wrote an article on the effects of immigration cuts on local communities, and Sharry Aiken, an immigration law professor at Queen's University, who broke down why the IRCC is making these changes to its policies.

The cuts arrive at a time when Vancouver's service industries are already forecasting job losses, with hospitality and food service among the hardest hit. Employers are weighing higher wages, automation, and reduced service hours as temporary workarounds—but long-term solutions remain unclear.