Canada's International Education Sector Reels from Sudden Policy Shifts
Canada's international education sector has been rocked by sudden policy shifts since January 2024, with the government of Prime Minister Mark Carney and Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab reducing immigration targets and implementing the Strong Borders Act. These changes have disrupted multi-year recruitment plans, unsettled students and families, and forced institutions into reactive measures that hinder long-term goals.
The government's actions include reducing immigration targets by about 20%, particularly limiting temporary residents like international students. The Strong Borders Act aims to tighten asylum processes and control the growth of international students. These changes have led to a dramatic contraction in study permit issuance, with nearly 100,000 fewer permits in 2024 than targeted, and approval rates plummeting to 48%.
The consequences are stark: arrivals of international students are down nearly 70% year over year, and the overall number of international students in Canada has fallen by 23% since January 2024. This decline has resulted in program closures, reduced course offerings, and limited educational opportunities for domestic learners. The rapid changes in policy have been compared to building a plane mid-flight in stormy weather, causing damage that requires coordinated, long-term solutions.
In the first six months of 2025, only 31,580 new permits were approved, putting Canada on pace to meet only 20-30% of its annual cap. Meanwhile, Canada's peers and competitors are strengthening their global ties and positioning themselves as destinations of choice for international students. The Provincial Attestation Letter process has also created delays, inconsistent application, and uncertainty for both students and institutions, exacerbating existing backlogs in the immigration system.
To restore stability and credibility in Canada's international education sector, the country must move beyond short-term fixes and knee-jerk reactions. Strategic investment models, managed growth plans, and provincial approaches are needed to address the challenges posed by these sudden policy shifts. Without coordinated, long-term solutions, Canada risks falling behind its competitors in the global race for international students.
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