Colleges and Institutes Speak Out on the Community Impact of International Student Policy Reforms

Following our open letter last month, public colleges and institutes across Canada have been voicing their concerns about the damaging impact of recent federal immigration policy reforms on their local communities, including the cap on international students and changes to the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) program.

College leaders argue that Ottawa’s one-size-fits-all approach fails to consider the realities of regional labour market needs. They’ve also expressed concerns about the tone, rhetoric, and rapid rollout of these changes, citing significant and far-reaching economic and social consequences, including:

Harm to Canadians and their communities: Restricting access to skilled talent, failing to recognize Canada’s regional differences and demographic pressures, and neglecting to invest in public colleges and institutes hurt Canada’s ability to meet local labour market needs, fill workforce gaps and drive innovation in key growth sectors.
Damage to Canada’s global reputation: The rapid, confusing rollout of these reforms has created uncertainty and damaged Canada’s image as a welcoming, stable destination for international students, weakening its position in the global education and talent market.
Threats to the future of programming for Canadian students: The ongoing policy changes jeopardize their ability to maintain and offer programs to Canadian students, especially those in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities.
Impact on Colleges’ Reputations: The rhetoric surrounding these reforms has, at times, unfairly placed singular responsibility on colleges and institutes for broader and longstanding national policy challenges like housing and healthcare shortages. This undermines the critical role they play as workforce solution providers to these very challenges and to the urgent labour market needs in their regions.

Regional Impacts

Here’s a closer look at what our members are saying about how these reforms are impacting communities across Canada:

Prince Edward Island: Holland College’s president says that the international student cap hurts Canada’s reputation.
New Brunswick: Collège communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick and New Brunswick Community College warn that the reforms will directly impact the businesses and communities of New Brunswick.
Quebec: Fédération des Cégeps believes that the reforms are vague, lack precision, and look like improvisation.
Ontario: Georgian College highlights how these changes threaten employers’ ability to fill critical labour gaps, while Seneca Polytechnic’s president underscores the compounded financial strain caused by a six-year tuition freeze, cutbacks in international student visas, and inflationary pressures. Colleges Ontario adds the government’s deeply concerning announcement on further international student restrictions demonstrates a clear university bias.
Manitoba: Assiniboine College’s president criticizes the lack of regional nuance in the policy changes, which fail to address specific local challenges and opportunities.
Saskatchewan: Great Plains College’s vice president of programs and students says the blanket approach does not consider the differences between regions or provinces in the country.
British Columbia: The president of BC Colleges says this is not the time to discourage students from choosing public colleges.

Financial Impacts

Additionally, the financial impact of these changes is significant, with several colleges reporting serious budget shortfalls and announcing means to address them:

Selkirk College is considering cuts following the new international student cap.
Fanshawe College reports significant budget impacts from enrolment limits.
Mohawk College projects a $50M deficit and anticipates layoffs due to visa restrictions.
Algonquin College foresees a $32M shortfall due to new rules for international students.
Camosun College announces layoffs due to the loss of tuition revenue.

Voices from the Community

It’s not just college leaders who are raising concerns; communities are starting to speak out too:

The Canadian Chamber of Commerce criticizes cuts to immigration targets, stressing the vital role of immigration in addressing labour shortages and driving economic growth.
The mayors of Fort St. John and Dawson Creek in British Columbia are condemning federal changes that cap the number of international post-secondary students accepted into the country.
The President and CEO of le Conseil du patronat du Québec (Quebec Employers Council) and the Director General of Éducation internationale warn that the PGWP reforms will deprive Quebec of a skilled workforce that is essential in key sectors.
Restaurants Canada expresses disappointment in the lack of consultation on recent changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker program.

A Unified Sector

One thing is certain: our sector stands united. As public institutions, we take the international student program’s stability, effectiveness, and integrity very seriously. Our members depend on it to deliver the training and skills local communities need to thrive, given demographic and labour market realities. While we support and continue to collaborate on efforts to manage its growth responsibly, harmful rhetoric and unpredictable policies must not destabilize postsecondary institutions or harm the communities they serve. We need thoughtful, deliberate, and predictable solutions paired with increased investment in our public institutions. Without this, Canada’s world-class postsecondary system is at risk, and the challenges facing our economy and communities will only grow.

Take Action

Take action by mobilizing your industry and community partners to support our message. Use the following template letters to engage your provincial and federal representatives and help amplify our collective voice:

Engage local businesses or industry partners: A letter from your college or institute to foster collaboration and support.
Advocate at the federal level: A letter for businesses to address IRCC Minister Marc Miller directly.

Related Publications

To learn more about these policy reforms and our position, please explore our previous publications: