How provinces, schools, and others are responding to IRCC’s cap on international students

Following a major statement by Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada(IRCC on the 22nd JanuaryThe Canadian government is introducing new limits on study permit for international students between 2024-2025.

Although the new changes were designed to maintain the integrity and quality of the international student program in Canada, provinces as well as other key stakeholders have expressed mixed feelings about these changes. While some have welcomed the study permit cap as necessary, others have found the policy harsh towards provinces, and harmful to the country’s post-secondary institutions.

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Provinces

British Columbia

British Columbia’s response to the recent news has been one of the most proactive among Canada’s provinces , thus far. The provincial government has been supportive of the new measures, and their intended purpose. British Columbia has publicly reaffirmed its commitment to provide adequate support for international student and has already implemented new policies to protect students and maintain its integrity. The province has implemented measures such as a two-year ban on new schools receiving funding. Designated Learning InstitutionThe DLI status, enhanced compliance measures, new standards for private degree program, greater transparency in tuition, and more.

Ontario

Ontario has largely acted to conform with the policy change from IRCC. Similar to British Columbia the province has been proactive with instituting new safeguards to safeguard international student, including adding more supervision to admissions approval procedures, requiring all schools to provide housing to foreign students, and renewing investigation into private career college. The provincial government has also announced that it will not be forming any new public-private college partnership, which includes curriculum licensing agreements in which public institutions license curriculum to private colleges.

Manitoba

Manitoba has expressed concern over the new student cap. The province’s premier, Wab Kinew, has expressed support for the underlying concerns for the new policy, stating that it was incumbent on politicians across Canada to ensure a sustainable number of arrivals of international students, while punishing bad actors who would exploit these students. Kinew also expressed concerns about possible tuition increases and a lack in guidance from the federal governments on these new policy.

New Brunswick

New Brunswick provincial representatives have a generally negative view of the new changes. Arlene Dunn, minister of post-secondary education, and the minister responsible for immigration, voiced her concerns on the matter—stating that IRCC’s new policy “unfairly targets all provincial jurisdictions when not all are experiencing the same problems.” In the minister’s view, New Brunswick is now unfairly facing consequences from failings in other parts of the country.

Several educational institutions, including the University of New Brunswick in the province have expressed concern about the lack of information from the federal Government and the lack of clarity regarding how this policy could impact admissions next year.

The School

Canada’s schools have had mixed reactions to IRCC’s new announcement.

In a statement to CIC News, the University of Waterloo noted its approval of IRCC measures to curb the exploitation of bad actors within the international student space—specifically around “institutions with curriculum-licensing arrangements”. The university expressed further concern about the “implications of this decision at the undergraduate level, especially in light of the current financial challenges that our institution and our sector are facing.”

Already in compliance with Ontario’s new housing guarantee for international students in their first year, the University of Waterloo’s concerns are centered around the reality that many post-secondary institutions will be severely impacted by IRCC’s new student cap.

According to Steve Orsini, president of the Council of Ontario Universities, the new changes come at a precarious time for Ontario’s post-secondary institutions. At least 10 of the province’s universities are expected to run financial deficits this year, which they attribute to a four-year provincially imposed tuition freeze and low levels of operating grants from the Ontario government.

Mathew Ramsey, Director of University Relations at the University of British Columbia, told CIC News that the University would be working with the provincial government and IRCC to implement the new policy changes.

“UBC values international students and their important contributions to UBC’s academic and research mission…. Canada is competing globally for this talent, and we need to ensure that international students continue to consider Canada as a destination of choice.”He said.

“It’s too early to speculate on any potential impacts at UBC…. We are in active discussion with the province to ensure that the importance of international students at provincial public post-secondary institutions is recognised and that the highest quality standards are maintained here in B.C.”

UBC is committed to providing support for international students. This includes a housing guarantee that is mandatory in the first year of study, health care, academic advising, and international student services.

Other stakeholders

Steve Orsini has released an official statement by the CEO and president of the Council of Ontario Universities, Steve Orsini, expressed disappointment with the federal government’s announcement of a study permit cap, pointing to possible “unintended consequences”For the sector and international students

Some student groups have also expressed doubts regarding IRCC’s new study permit cap. University of Toronto Students’ Union VP Public and University Affairs Aidan Thompson criticised the policy change as a “short-term” fix on the government’s part—specifically citing the chronic need for workers in critical sectors of the Canadian labour market, and that international students provide a key talent pool to fill these gaps.

On January 30, Universities Canada and Colleges and Institutes Canada, two membership organisations representing 234 postsecondary schools in Canada, wrote an open letter to Immigration Minister Mark Miller, voicing their concerns about potential economic and labor market effects that could result from a reduction in international student enrollment.

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