In an effort to manage the surge in immigration of international students, the Canadian province of British Columbia announced a freeze on approvals for new colleges accepting international students until February 2026. The move comes a week after Canada announced plans to temporarily cap the number of foreign students accepted into the country in an attempt to address concerns about housing shortages and rising rents attributed to the influx of students.
British Columbia also plans to implement stricter standards, including minimum language requirements at private training institutions, and higher benchmarks for labor market needs and degree quality.
Last week, the federal government imposed a two-year cap on new international student permits, reducing the country's intake by 35% in 2026 to around 360,000. Additionally, work permits for some student’s post-graduation will be discontinued.
“International students are vital to Canada and enrich our communities. As such, we have an obligation to ensure that they have access to the resources they need for an enriching academic experience. In Canada, today, this isn’t always the case. Today, we are announcing additional measures to protect a system that has become so lucrative that it has opened a path for its abuse. Enough is enough,” Canada's immigration minister Marc Miller said last week.
With approximately 1 million international study permit holders in Canada as of the end of last year, a threefold increase over the past decade, concerns about housing shortages and rent spikes have intensified. Canada's popularity among international students is attributed to the ease of obtaining work permits after completing courses.
Canada has been adding additional checks to its study permit applications. On January 1, the cost-of-living requirement for study permit applicants was updated to better reflect the true cost of living in Canada and help prevent student vulnerability and exploitation.
Since December 1, 2023, post-secondary designated learning institutions have been required to confirm every letter of acceptance submitted by an applicant outside Canada directly with IRCC. This enhanced verification process protects prospective students from fraud and ensures that study permits are issued based only on genuine letters of acceptance.
