Higher education institutions as eyes of the state: Canada’s international student compliance regime

As immigration polices increasingly entangle with those of higher education (HE), institutions are being positioned as migrant surveillance actors. HE’s participation in state-managed international student compliance regimes (ISCRs), for example, raises political and ethical questions, including those concerning the core mission of HE. This paper traces the Canadian ISCR context over the past decade, focusing on the introduction of the Designated Learning Institution (DLI) student compliance reporting requirement in 2014. It argues that Canadian HE’s role in surveilling temporary residents on behalf of the state is a problematic bordering practice. It also posits that this new form of surveillance is not necessarily a novel compromise of HE’s values, but rather connected to historical patterns of HE’s involvement in border imperialism. It questions the benevolence of both Canada’s immigration policies towards international students and, ultimately, higher education itself.