Canada to reduce number of incoming international students by 35%  

International students in Canada are going to see some major changes effective immediately.  

The Government of Canada announced some new rules for international students related immigration policies on Jan. 22.  

The announcement was made by Marc Miller, minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (IRCC).  

These come in response to the increasing number of incoming international students in the country, which is seen to put extra pressure on housing, healthcare, and other services.  

Mary Rose Sabater, communications advisor at the IRCC shared, “Canada values the significant social, cultural and economic benefits that international students bring to Canada. For those benefits to continue and to ensure international students who arrive in Canada are set up for success, we must tackle issues that have made some students vulnerable and have challenged the integrity of the International Student Program. This includes making sure we can manage the number of international students coming to Canada in a sustainable manner, while deterring any bad actors who pose a threat to the system.”  

The first item in the announcement is a temporary two-year cap being placed on the number of new international students.  

It is expected that around 360,000 new study permits will be issued this year, which is a 35 per cent decrease from 2023.  

This cap will be weighted by population, thus provinces with larger international student population, such as Ontario, will see greater reductions in incoming international students.  

“Establishing a cap is different than the allocation. Conversations are ongoing with provinces and territories and more information will be announced in due course. Matching allocations with a province’s per capita share of the population is the prime consideration, but other considerations are also part of those conversations with provinces and territories,” shared Sabater.  

New study permit applicants will also be required to provide attestation letters from the relevant province or territory.  

However, this cap will not affect students already in Canada, including those applying for study permit extensions.  

Nischal Yonjan, an international student studying at George Brown College’s (GBC) Casa Loma campus shared relief that this would not affect him.  

“I don’t think it will affect me because I’m already here and for the new students, it will be. I think it’s in the favor of the students because more and more students are coming to specifically Ontario, and it will be decentralized for Canada. I think it will be better for international students,” Yonjan said.  

However, some students are worried about other items announced alongside the study permit cap.  

IRCC’s announcement included that spouses of students who are not in master’s or doctoral programs will no longer be eligible for open work permits.  

This applies to the spouses of international students enrolled in any program at colleges like GBC.  

GBC has approximately 12,000 current international students.  

While no data is available on the number of current international students who are married or have children, it is not uncommon for international students to travel to Canada with their families, especially in post-graduate levels of study such as those available at GBC.  

Angelica Kim, a student from the Business school, traveled to Canada with her husband and shares concerns about the policy.  

“If this rule also applies for international students applying for an extension of study permit at a college program and open work permit, it means that my husband won’t be able to work anymore, therefore he wouldn’t be able to provide financial support anymore,” she said.  

On Feb. 5, the IRCC posted additional information on all the policies and clarified that spouses or common law partners of international students already in Canada, who only wish to extend their open work permits, will be eligible to do so.  

However, spouses of any incoming students in the future to college programs will not be eligible. 

Tulsa Patel, an interior design student at GBC said, “I think that (as) people who are already living far from the family, we do face loneliness and then we don’t have people for support. And after this rule, I think it will get much more difficult because then the spouses or the children won’t be able to come here…That was one way of support which is being smashed.” 

Additionally, the original announcement by IRCC mentioned professional degree programs such as medicine and law to be exempted from this rule. However, they have since removed this specification from the official announcement on their website, leaving only master’s and doctoral students eligible.  

Sabater was able to add that while spouses of incoming international students in college programs cannot apply for open work permits as a dependent, they can still apply for any type of work permit they may be eligible for as the principal applicant.  

More information on this can be found through this link https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/work-canada/permit/temporary/need-permit-1.html 

The final part of the announcement was about changes to post-graduation work permit (PGWP) eligibility.  

Starting Sept. 1, public/private institution partnerships will no longer be eligible for PGWP. GBC students will not be affected by this as GBC does not have this partnership model.  

The original announcement also noted that soon there would be a possibility for graduates of master’s and graduate level programs to directly apply for a three-year PGWP soon.  

“We are waiting for more information on what ‘other short graduate-level programs’ means and how that might impact GBC students,” said Ali Agha, manager of International Student Services at GBC. 

However, this has also been edited on IRCC’s website since, to include only ‘master’s graduates, therefore potentially excluding students graduating from GBC and other colleges. 

This new set of announcements also brings concerns of increased financial stress on international students. 

Three weeks before the announcement of these new policies, the IRCC had announced the increase of the cost-of-living requirement for new study permit applicants from $10,000 to $20,635 for a year.  

This was in response to the increasing cost of living in Canada including housing and groceries. 

Additionally, international students pay four times the tuition fee of domestic students, averaging $8,000 per semester for graduate certificate courses at colleges around Ontario.  

“One chance for the people who used to come before was [that] the spouse is working, that would lessen the burden. But now being the only person handling the part time work, along with studies is going to be draining financially, along with the emotional thing as well because you don’t have your close ones around. And then you still have the pressure from the college from like paying fees by yourself, and then running your house,” said Patel. 

The possible implications of the decreased number of incoming students on the college’s finances and logistics have not been made available. Information on potential tuition hikes to cover these costs is also not available as of yet.  

However, with an expected 35 per cent decrease in incoming international students, a concern remains that current students might have to handle the financial burdens.  

When asked about how IRCC’s new policies might affect tuition, Sabater shared, “We are working with the provinces to ensure the best outcomes. Education is the jurisdiction of provincial and territorial governments, and tuition rates are set by learning institutions in line with provincial/territorial policies. IRCC has no role in this regard. However, the levers around tuition are with the province. For instance, the BC minister has noted, they are not expecting a rise in tuition fees.” 

Late last month, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced that he has does not intend to raise post-secondary tuition fees.  

But colleges across Ontario have been reported to have asked for a tuition fee raise or a delay in implementing the international student cap.  

During this transition and confusion, international students at GBC expressed the need for additional counseling services specific to answering questions related to the new changes. 

“All staff should be more prepared to answer any questions that might come up from students as there are many in a very desperate situation or even feeling anxious about all the changes that are happening,” Kim said. “As an international student, I feel like I’m not very welcomed anymore to study in Canada. There are a lot of interesting college programs that can contribute in our careers, but with this new announcement, I feel like international students at college programs are not being prioritized as much as they should,” she added.  

The International Student Services at GBC shared that they are currently waiting on more information from IRCC to share with students.

Meanwhile, Agha noted that international students are an important part of the college.  

“At George Brown College, we are proud to have a vibrant learning community for all students, and our international students are a special part of this community. We are committed to supporting all our students and ensuring their success. We are actively working to understand the potential effects of these changes. Once we can assess the implications of this announcement, we will provide more information. We are here for our student community every step of the way, with supports and services,” Agha said.  

Students can find existing information and frequently asked questions on their webpage www.georgebrown.ca/news/2024/update-on-international-student-visa-policies. More information will be provided to students once it is made available by the IRCC.