What are the plans the province has to address concerns?
Ontario, home to half of Canada’s foreign students and the country’s most populous province, is set to implement a new mandate requiring all colleges and universities to ensure housing availability for incoming cohorts.
According to a Bloomberg report, this initiative comes on the heels of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government placing a cap on international student visas earlier this week. The aim is to address public concerns over a surge in temporary migrants that has led to escalating rents and housing costs.
As part of the provincial measures, there will be a comprehensive review of programs offered by institutions with a substantial number of foreign students. The goal is to ensure these programs align with the demands of the labour market, as outlined in a statement released by Ontario’s Ministry of Colleges and Universities.
“The challenges stemming from the recent spike in students coming to Canada, including predatory practices by bad-actor recruiters, misinformation regarding citizenship and permanent residency, false promises of guaranteed employment, and inadequate housing for students, require immediate attention and collaborative action,” said Jill Dunlop, colleges and universities minister.
Furthermore, Ontario plans to prohibit new partnerships between public and private colleges, which have been identified as a significant factor contributing to the threefold increase in foreign student numbers over the past decade. Many of these students leverage their education to obtain post-graduate work permits and pursue permanent residency in Canada.
Federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller has urged provinces to take stronger actions to prevent the exploitation of foreign students. Provinces bear primary responsibility for funding post-secondary institutions and classifying them as designated learning institutions.
British Columbia, another favoured destination for foreign students, is anticipated to unveil its own set of measures next week.
Universities and colleges have increasingly relied on international students, who pay substantially higher tuition fees compared to Canadian students, to supplement government funding. Ontario has also implemented freezes on tuition fees for Canadian students in recent years.
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