The Canadian government has announced a two-year cap on undergraduate study permits to alleviate strain on the nation’s housing and healthcare systems. The Ministry of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship stated that the growing influx of international students in Canada is causing strain on these services. Starting this year, there will be a two-year cap on undergraduate study permits, limiting the number of individuals to approximately 360,000.
The government has reassured current students that the new policy will not impact the renewal of permits. The ministry aims to exempt professional programs like law and medicine from the cap.
The student cap marks another effort by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government to address soaring housing prices nationwide. Ontario temporarily halted the establishment of new public-private college partnerships shortly after the federal government revealed a strategy to reduce the influx of international students to Canada. However, some economists and college presidents believe these partnerships are already at risk due to the recent federal announcement.
The province has committed to ensuring housing options are readily available for all incoming college and university students. They will also increase oversight of programs that contain a significant amount of international students. However, further details regarding these commitments have not been provided.
The Tories did not make any commitments regarding the increase of post-secondary funding or the allowance for schools to raise domestic tuition.
A panel of experts has recommended the province take necessary steps to ensure the sector’s survival. Schools in Ontario and throughout the country are concerned about the potential impact of this policy on their financial situation.
Mike Moffatt, the founding director of the PLACE Centre at the Smart Prosperity Institute, praised the provincial government for committing to review specific programs and ensuring housing but expressed concern about the lack of specific information regarding these promises and others.