The people who run Canada’s universities and colleges are warning that Ottawa’s crackdown on international student visas threatens the viability of post-secondary institutions — and could leave students in more remote communities with fewer options.
In September, the federal government announced it would slash the number of visas it issues by another 10 per cent. The new target for 2025 and 2026 will be 437,000 permits. In 2024, the target was 485,000 permits.
Pari Johnston, president of Colleges and Institute Canada, said international students play an important role in making many college programs viable.
The House23:05What the drop in international students means for colleges and universities in Canada
Student recruiter Meti Basiri tells The House how the dramatic cut in the number of international student visas has lowered Canada’s global appeal; then the president and vice-chancellor of Western University Alan Shepard and the president and CEO of Colleges and Institutes Canada Pari Johnston detail their concerns about the knock-on effect on the wider education system; and Immigration Minister Marc Miller and Ontario Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy respond to criticisms.
“There aren’t always enough Canadian students to fill a program, particularly those higher-cost programs in the trades [and] health care,” Johnston told CBC’s The House.
Johnston also said the study permit cuts, coupled with “under-investment in public education in several provinces,” will leave students in remote regions of Canada with fewer education options as colleges struggle with their budgets.
The federal government is also tightening restrictions on post-graduation work permits for international students.
Post-secondary institutions say they are projected to lose hundreds of millions of dollars with new international student caps they warn jobs and student programs could be at risk if governments don’t boost funding.
In September, the federal government announced that graduates from programs at public colleges will still be eligible for a permit for up to three years if they “graduate from a field of study linked to occupations in long-term shortage.”
Johnston said restricting work permit eligibility to national labour market needs has been “a bigger blow” and runs counter to the realities of Canada’s economy, which takes a more regional approach to labour.
Western University president Alan Shepard said Canada also risks losing out on opportunities for innovation, since international students bring broader perspectives and ideas.
“I want students from Canada to have the opportunity to be in classes with people from different economic systems, different religious systems, different races from all over the world,” Shepard told host Catherine Cullen.
International students turning away from Canada
Meti Basiri is the co-founder and CEO of ApplyBoard, a website that connects international students, recruiters and post-secondary institutions. He said Canada used to be the first choice for students. Now it’s third, behind the U.S. and U.K.
“Students around the world are rethinking their education journey in Canada compared to where Canada was last year,” Basiri said.
According to an analysis by ApplyBoard published in September, 47 per cent fewer international study permits will be awarded in 2024 than in 2023. The federal government projected a 35 per cent decrease when it announced the permit cuts.
The ApplyBoard analysis attributes the difference to student demand shifting away from Canada under the new policy. Basiri said the message being sent to prospective students is that “Canada is not as welcoming as it used to be.”
Shifting the blame around
Before announcing the permit cuts, Immigration Minister Marc Miller singled out some educational institutions that he described as “the diploma equivalent of puppy mills that are just churning out diplomas.”
Johnston described Miller’s words as “very harmful” and said the minister is “painting a whole sector with a very big brush” by grouping private, for-profit colleges together with the public colleges she represents.
In an interview with The House on Thursday, Miller defended his remarks and said “the rhetoric will change when the behaviour changes.”
Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced new rules that are coming for prospective international students that increase the amount of money needed to study in Canada.
When asked about the prospect of post-secondary institutions shutting down programs, Miller said that “some programs have to close, and there is a rationalization process that was important to be had.”
Miller said that post-secondary education is “principally provincial” and singled out Ontario for what he called a “failure of regulation.” He also said provincial government funding plays a key role in financing colleges and universities.
Ontario, which is home to 40 per cent of Canada’s university system, has frozen domestic student tuition since 2018-19.
When asked about the tuition freeze, Ontario Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy said “the reason that we’re in this situation is that the federal government has mismanaged the immigration file.”
“They open the gates without much thought about the infrastructure necessary to accept so many more people, then use a blunt instrument to shut it down,” he added.
Shepard said it’s difficult to lead a public institution “and have it be very high quality and meet the needs of all of our students” when the revenue is “effectively flat.”
“That’s very difficult over time and you can squeeze for a while, but eventually there’s not much left to squeeze,” he added.
Bethlenfalvy said the province is “clear” that it will be keeping domestic tuition frozen until 2027.
