Ottawa planning to reduce volume of international students in certain provinces: source

The federal government is planning to reduce the volume of international students in certain provinces, according to a senior government source.

Ottawa shares jurisdiction over Canada’s international student program with the provinces. The federal government issues visas for students while provincial governments are responsible for regulating colleges and universities.

The source told Radio-Canada that the government is looking at provinces that accept more international students than their housing stock can accommodate. The source specifically pointed to Ontario, British Columbia and Nova Scotia as possible examples.

CBC is not naming the source as they are not authorized to speak publicly about the matter. 

The source said that the government has had discussions with some provinces about limiting the number of students in more dense areas and tightening regulations around which institutions can accept international students, but that those discussions have gone nowhere.

The federal government has said Canada was on pace to host about 900,000 international students in 2023. 

Immigration Minister Marc Miller, in recent weeks, has floated the idea of a cap on temporary residents as a way to address housing affordability.

Last month, the federal government doubled the amount of money international students need to prove they have access to in order to apply for a visa. Prospective students now need to show they have access to $20,635 instead of the $10,000 requirement that had been in place for two decades.

During a press conference marking the announcement, Miller called on provinces to do more to help house international students. He also criticized lax regulations around some post-secondary institutions.

“There are, in provinces, the diploma equivalent of puppy mills that are just churning out diplomas, and this is not a legitimate student experience,” Miller said at the news conference in December.

In November, the government announced that, after several recent increases to its annual immigration targets, it would hold steady at a goal of 500,000 new permanent residents in 2026.

Last week, a report by The Canadian Press revealed senior civil servants had warned the government that increased immigration would have an impact on the affordability and availability of housing, as well as services such as health care.