Ontario updates international student admission rules

Ontario is introducing changes to its provincial admissions policy for international students. Minister of Colleges and Universities  Jill Dunlop announced an action plan that includes increased vetting of programs, housing guarantees for international students and tighter oversight of private career colleges.

Among the innovations is a moratorium on new partnership programs between public and private educational institutions. The decision was announced shortly after the federal government imposed a two-year cap on foreign student enrollment in an effort to reduce pressure on social services, including health care and housing.

New measures expected to enter into force shortly include the following initiatives:

• reviewing and revising all programs offered by colleges and universities that enroll many international students;
• testing the relevance of educational programs to the local labor market;
• a moratorium on new partnerships between public and private colleges;
• establishing feedback through student progress surveys;
• a commitment for all colleges and universities to provide housing guarantees for international students.

In vocational colleges, on the other hand, coordination with ministries will be strengthened to better monitor compliance.

Ontario's problems

The province has specific problems that are less common to other regions of Canada. In particular, Ontario faces the challenge of dealing with irresponsible recruiters who exploit international students for their own gain by making dubious offers of employment and citizenship.

It is also in Ontario that educators are most concerned about the introduction of new rules for international students. The reason for this is the peculiar system of university budgets.

A significant portion of Ontario's public college revenue comes from international students, who contribute substantially more money than domestic students. The Higher Education Institutions Finance Commission has recommended that Ontario lift the domestic tuition freeze and increase grants to educational institutions by 10% to avoid a collapse in education when the new measures are introduced.

Ottawa, in turn, will limit the number of international students in various provinces, which is expected to affect Ontario by reducing enrollment by 50%.

Under current Liberal leadership, Canada's international student program has grown markedly, reaching more than one million participants by the end of 2023, with more than 400,000 international students in Ontario alone based on 2022 data. Ontario officials intend to review the proposed recommendations and announce additional details in late February.