Private career colleges were certainly blamed for the issue, but the truth is that in Ontario at least the really egregious institutions were public colleges. Just 10 Ontario public colleges accounted for nearly 30% of all international study permits issued across the country, and Ontario’s college sector as a whole accounted for 40% of all international student visas issued nationally. There were also a number of “primarily undergraduate” universities that had opened satellite campuses or created public/private partnerships in order to accommodate higher numbers of international students. Two in particular, Algoma and Cape Breton universities, were the worst offenders. Many of these programs were of questionable academic quality and attracted students with lower qualifications. They were in effect “cash cow degree/diploma mills”.
This all came to a head because many of the students enrolled in these programs were actually using them as a means for gaining temporary work permits and/or as a back door to gaining PR rather than being focused on academics. This in turn led to many entry level jobs being filled by international students as employers were exploiting them by paying them less or imposing unreasonable work demands which in turn was contributing to a high domestic youth unemployment rate and depressed wages. It also placed a great strain on housing supply and other public infrastructure.
As a result the federal government was pushed to step in and lower the number of international student visas it was issuing. Each province was given an allocation primarily based on population, but it was up to the provinces themselves to decide how to divvy them up amongst the various PSIs. Initially graduate programs were exempted from the quota, but then they were added too.
In Ontario specifically the visas are being prioritized for students enrolling in programs leading to “in demand” fields predominantly in STEM, health care, and skilled trades. About 80% of the visas are being allocated to public colleges and 16% to public universities. The other 4% is going to language schools and private institutions.
The cuts began in the 2024 enrolment cycle and then the number of permits issued were further reduced for 2025. It’s anticipated that even further cuts will be made for 2026.