By Pari Johnston, President & CEO, Colleges and Institutes Canada.
Let’s set the record straight. Despite reports that Canada is approving study permits for international students at a faster pace than last year, the cap on international student study permit applications is having the effect it was designed to have – that is to say: fewer approved study permits.
Have more study permit holders entered Canada so far this year? Yes, however, international students who entered Canada from January to May would almost certainly have applied and been approved for their study permits before the cap came into effect on January 22.
In fact, publicly available data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) shows that international student applications are down 36% year over year. For CICan members in particular – Canada’s network publicly funded colleges, institutes, cégeps, and polytechnics – applications are down as much as 54%.
Make no mistake, the policy is having the effect it was designed to have. Namely, to reduce the number of international student permit applications, and by extension the number of approved permits.
We consulted CICan members to get a sense of how that story is playing out on the ground. What we heard? Institutions are preparing for big and unintended consequences.
Overwhelmingly, we do not need more drastic measures.
On the contrary, the cap is already at risk of worsening a long-term trend of reduced provincial spending, tuition freezes, and rising costs for post-secondary institutions.
Already, some institutions are reducing hiring and academic staff. Already, institutions are limiting intakes for some programs, while others are cutting whole programs – including in critical areas like early childhood education, continuing care, and environmental technologies. Already, institutions are reducing some commercial research activities and student outreach programs.
If we’re not careful, we could irreparably damage our publicly funded postsecondary education system.
Colleges and institutes train critical workforces that meet our national and global challenges – things like building sustainable and affordable housing, providing high-quality healthcare, and transitioning to green energies. Chronic underinvestment has forced these publicly funded institutions to rely more heavily on international student fees to sustain operations.
Fewer international students not only limits access to training for Canadian students that is vital to growing key sectors of our economy – particularly in rural, remote, northern, and Indigenous communities – but threatens the vitality of our sector as a whole.
We need smart, deliberate, and predictable solutions.
The Minister and post-secondary institutions want the same thing – an improved international student program that operates efficiently and with integrity. What we need now more than ever are measured and predictable solutions that address key issues – such as funding shortfalls, international student supports, and long-term strategic planning – without rushing to implement policies that could inadvertently create larger-than-intended consequences.
Canada needs to pause and reassess how these abrupt policy changes could undermine the sustainability of a sector vital to the public good. The path forward is thoughtful policy-making that recognizes the interconnectedness of international students, colleges, and institutes within Canada’s broader economic and social landscape.
In 2022 alone, international students contributed $30.9 billion to Canada’s economy and supported 360,000 jobs.
That stream supporting our economy is slowing. We’re not seeing the impacts yet, but they’re coming.