Dear Mr Brown:

Canada seems to be in a lot of disarray with all these changes regarding study permits. Can you tell me the relevant changes.

–CM

Dear CM:

There have been several announcements from provincial governments in response to the federal government placing a cap on study permits for international undergraduate students over the next two years. There is still a lot of negotiations as many details have not been worked out.

Federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced a 35 per cent reduction in the number of study permits this year. Although the total cap is divided between provinces, Ontario and British Columbia will see its allotment of new study permits cut in half.

British Columbia

The province has been plagued with exploitative practices. Of the 175,000 international post-secondary students from more than 150 countries in BC, about 54 per cent are enrolled in private institutions. The post-secondary education Minister found instances of poor-quality education, a lack of instructors and intimidating international students from lodging formal complaints by certain private institutions.

British Columbia is taking the following measures:

1. There will be a ban of new post-secondary institutions from applying to enrol international students for the next two years until February 2026.

2. The establishment of minimum language requirements at private institutions so international students will better protect themselves.

3. There will be more inspections of the schools to ensure standards are met.

The two-year pause gives the province some time to assess the impact of recent changes.

Ontario

Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative Government made public colleges and universities cut tuition by 10 per cent in 2019, then froze tuition at that level and did not provide a corresponding funding increase. In response, post-secondary institutions, particularly colleges, began enrolling more international students in an effort to recoup lost revenue.

The number of international students at Ontario universities nearly doubled from 2014-15 to 2021-22, and more than tripled at colleges. Ontario, like much of Canada, remains gripped in a housing crisis. The majority of institutions built no new student residence spaces during that 2014-15 to 2021-22 period.

Unfortunately, there have been instances of students being exposed to predatory practices and misinformation regarding citizenship and permanent residency, false promises regarding employment and inadequate housing for students.

Ontario will be taking the following measures:

1. Ontario colleges and universities will be required to guarantee housing for incoming international students.

2. The province has pledged to build 1.5 million homes by 2031 in an effort to address the supply shortage.

3. There will also be a provincial review of programmes offered by post-secondary institutions that have a substantial number of international students to ensure the programs are of appropriate quality and meet labour market needs.

4. There will be a moratorium on new public college-private partnerships while further work is done to strengthen oversight mechanisms and ensure the quality of existing partnerships. The federal government announced that students attending a private-public model will be banned from accessing postgraduate work permits as of September 1, 2024.

I will be responding to questions regarding the recent changes in immigration law as further developments arise.

Please visit JAMAICA2CANADA.COM for additional information on Canadian Permanent Residence progress entry, the study & work programme, visas or appeals, etc.

Antonn Brown, BA, (Hons), LLB, MSc, RCIC, is an immigration counsel and an accredited Canadian education agent of JAMAICA2CANADA.COM — a Canadian immigration & education firm in Kingston. Send questions/comments to documents.jamaica2canada@gmail.com