(Bloomberg) -- Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government will cut the amount of time foreign students can work off campus to 24 hours per week, part of its effort to curb the explosive growth of the program.

Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced on Monday that the government is ending a temporary policy, started during the height of labor shortages in 2022, that had allowed foreign students to work full time.

The measure had raised a previous 20-hour cap and faced criticism for helping drive a surge in demand for foreign student visas because students could focus more on working than studying as a potential pathway to citizenship. 

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Still, Miller opted not to restore the previous limit, instead allowing foreign students to work a maximum of 24 hours a week starting in September. The new cap will ensure students focus primarily on their studies while having the option to work if necessary, his department said in a statement. 

As Canadian colleges and universities head into the summer session, students who have a scheduled academic break may continue working unlimited hours. 

Miller previously told Bloomberg News that about 80% of foreign students were working more than 20 hours a week. He said some big-box stores and other businesses that rely on foreign-student employees had pushed to preserve the full-time work week, as had some student groups.

The Retail Council of Canada had requested permanent regulation allowing 30 hours of work per week when class is in session.

Miller’s announcement is part of a suite of measures the government has been rolling out to respond to the unprecedented growth of the temporary resident population in Canada. It has pledged an overall cap on this demographic, a limit to foreign-student visas and a new framework that will set a higher standard for the colleges and universities that receive permits.

--With assistance from Brian Platt.

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