Today, the B.C. Minister of Higher Education made several big announcements about international students, according to several local media reports. According to the plan, B.C.'s private colleges will face drastic changes.
Private colleges and universities are prohibited from recruiting international students
The new policy first targets B.C.'s private universities, which will not approve new private universities for the next two years and prohibit them from admitting international students for two years. According to B.C. Minister of Advanced Education Selina Robinson, private colleges and universities will face greater scrutiny and more frequent inspections to ensure standards are met.
In addition, private colleges and universities must increase the transparency of tuition fees and demonstrate that new courses meet the needs of the labor market.
B.C. is home to more than 175,000 international students from more than 150 countries, with about 54 percent of them enrolled in private higher education institutions, the statement said.
For a long time, these private universities have been regarded as "diploma factories" because of various irregularities and scandals – providing poor education while charging high fees to international students. Robinson also said that the new rules will prevent institutions from using international students to "scam money," and that some of the "private colleges" that B.C. spotted have a "campus" that is nothing more than an office in a department store, and that most classes are online.
There are about 280 private colleges and universities in B.C., the vast majority of which are located in the Greater Vancouver area.
It is said that the ban on international student enrollment at newly opened private colleges and universities will remain in place until February 2026.
Increase the minimum language requirements for private schools
BC will also set minimum language requirements for private institutions so that international students are "prepared" in terms of language in advance.
"That's why we're introducing stricter requirements and strong safeguards for institutions to protect international students from bad behavior, give them a better path to success, and ensure that BC continues to attract the talented students we need in the workforce to move our economy forward," she said. ”
It is clear that the aim of this initiative is to screen international "talent" into the Canadian labour market earlier. At the end of last year, Canada also raised the financial requirements for study permit applicants. Some students now have to prove that they have $20,635 in available funds — more than double the current standard (about $10,000) — and these requirements are all "proactive" efforts to improve the quality of potential newcomers to fit the demands of the local labor market.
Various provinces have introduced specific policies to restrict international students
This year, there will be a 35% reduction in new undergraduate visas, which means that there will be about 360,000 international students who have been granted study visas this year. In provinces with a high proportion of international students, such as B.C. and Ontario, the decline could be close to 50%.
In recent years, the number of international students in Canadian colleges and universities has soared, with the number of international students increasing by 31% year-on-year in 2022 to more than 800,000, putting additional pressure on the Canadian housing market.
Nationally, B.C. has the second-highest number of international students in the country after Ontario. The number of international students in B.C. has more than tripled since 2013 (78,000 international students).
However, Natalia Tola, national vice-president of the Canadian Student Federation, said she was concerned that the cap on the international student visa would force affected tertiary institutions to increase tuition fees for international and local students as they scramble to make up for the financial losses.
According to Statistics Canada, international undergraduate students pay an average of $36,123 in tuition, while the average tuition fee for Canadian undergraduates is $6,834.
In addition, this new rule has sparked some panic on campus. For example, schools have been forced to cut courses because of a lack of tuition fees for international students, international students are worried about tuition fees and spend more time part-time, and some teachers are worried about layoffs.