In Canada, university and college officials hope for an end to upheaval for international students

In 2023, Canada reached a milestone of 1 million international students after a decade of investments.

“We’d seen growth somewhere in the range of a 170-180% increase in those 10 years,” said Larissa Bezo, president and CEO of the Canadian Bureau for International Education.

Bezo said students choose Canada because it’s seen as a safe and generally non-discriminatory place to study.

The schools are also impressive, and Bezo added, “We do have post-study work rights in Canada that are available to students,” so people can stay after graduating.

But, the federal government is among those saying that international students have contributed to a strain on housing and healthcare services.

Marc Miller, Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (IRCC), addressed the issue at a press conference last January.

“It would be a disservice to welcome international students in Canada knowing not all of them are getting the resources they need to succeed in Canada and having them return home disappointed and disillusioned in Canada’s education system,” Miller said.

He announced a new cap on the number of international students allowed to come to Canada.

The cut was significant — the government wanted to see a 35% drop in the number of approved study permits in 2023.

So far, it’s been effective.

Canada saw a 38% decrease in international students from January to August of this year, according to an emailed statement from the IRCC.

Then, in September, student permits were cut by another 10%, and the country’s Post­-Graduation Work Permit Program was adjusted to “better align with immigration goals and economic objectives.”

There are now language proficiency requirements for English or French. And college graduates and students from other non-university programs must work in specific markets, which mostly include STEM and agricultural jobs.

Larissa Bezo says all these changes have thrown the sector into a period of upheaval.

“It’s been a pretty substantive year in terms of changes. And so, a lot of adjustment, a lot of recalibration — and a lot of trying to make sense of what it all means,” she said.

Many people have criticized the Canadian government for not being clear about the new policies. This includes Mehnaz Lamia, who came to Toronto from Bangladesh in 2019 to study at the Ontario College of Art & Design University.

“When I tutor students — and a lot of them being international students — the question I often get asked is, ‘so what’s happening with immigration?’ Or ‘can I stay? What does my future look like,’” Lamia told The World.

Having graduated last year, Lamia is now the international student representative for the Canadian Federation of Students.

She said she doesn’t have perfect answers for current students and feels she must brace herself for more possible restrictions.

“I feel like, as international students, we always live in fear of when the next policy change is going to take place,” Lamia said. “ It’s a very hard thing to live [with] – like, you don’t know what tomorrow holds.”

International students around the world are watching this news and changing their plans accordingly.

Bezo said there’s been a chilling effect, and a big chunk of students aren’t even applying.

“The sad part about all of this is we still have lots of room for students; there’s still a very strong desire on the part of our communities and our institutions to host those students,” she said.

That’s the case at The University of Toronto.

Joseph Wong, the University of Toronto’s vice president for international affairs, said the university has been relatively unscathed so far.

“Our ability to attract international students this current year — 2024/2025 — has remained really robust,” Wong said.“ We were just about 300 less than where we were last year.”

Still, he, too, worries about the reputational damage this year’s abrupt measures will cause Canada’s brand.

Wong said the University of Toronto has seen the biggest drop in enrollment, particularly from India, a major source of international students for Canada.

“We’ve had to do a lot of correcting of misinformation, and so the president has spent some time in India,” he said.“ We obviously have a whole team of recruiters spending time in India to assure families there that Indian students remain very welcome here in Canada.”

As a turbulent year wraps up, leaders in Canada’s higher education hope there won’t be any more cuts in the coming months and that 2025 will be a more stable year for the industry.