Canada is closing its doors to more visitors and temporary residents, approving fewer visas and turning away more people arriving at its borders with official documents, according to government data obtained by Reuters.

The increase in refusals of foreign travelers comes as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government lags in the polls ahead of an election scheduled for next year and attempts to reduce the number of temporary residents – and perhaps permanent immigrants.

Immigrants have been blamed for the housing shortage and high prices.

Canadians once took pride in welcoming newcomers, but polls show a growing number of people say the country admits too many immigrants. According to observers, this position is being conveyed to border and immigration authorities.

In July, Canada entry was refused to 5,853 foreign travelerswho have been “allowed to leave,” as Canada puts it, and include students, workers and tourists. This is the highest figure since at least January 2019, according to border agency data that has not previously been published.

Border agents turned away 3,727 foreign travelers per month on average during the first seven months of 2024, an increase of 633 people or 20% compared to the previous year.

Separately, officers deemed 285 visa holders ineligible in July, also the highest number on record since at least January 2019, the data showed.

A spokesperson for the Canada Border Services Agency said changes in inadmissibility findings can be caused by migration trends or policy changes and are decided on a case-by-case basis. The Agency has not identified any specific policy changes.

“The role, policy and practice of the CBSA has always been to assess the admissibility of people arriving in Canada. This has not changed,” the spokesperson said.

At the same time, Canada’s Immigration Department is approving fewer visas.

The ratio of visitor visa applications refused to those approved was higher in June than at any time since the height of the pandemic. In January, February, May and June 2024, more applications were rejected than approvedaccording to data from the Department of Immigration.

The number of approved study and work permits also declined from record levels in 2023 and 2022, respectively.

“Canadians want a system that is not out of control,” Immigration Minister Marc Miller said in August.

Miller’s spokesperson said the Immigration Department “is committed to fair and non-discriminatory enforcement of immigration policy and procedures” and attributed the drop in study permit approvals to the cap announced in January. However, the decline appears to have started last year.

Eight lawyers told the Reuters who have heard from their clients about increased surveillance of visa holders at airports and land border crossings.