BC pauses approvals of new colleges seeking to enrol foreign students

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British Columbia, the third-most populous province in Canada, will freeze approvals of new colleges and universities seeking to enrol foreign students, the latest effort by a government to curb explosive growth of temporary immigrants in the country.

The province’s pause on new schools looking to register foreigners will be in effect until February 2026, said Selina Robinson, the postsecondary education minister. The province will also set higher standards for degree quality and labour market needs, as well as new language requirements for private institutions.

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The move follows a cap on international study permits imposed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government last week, which was aimed at quelling public anger over a surge in temporary migrants that has pushed up rents and housing prices. The government of Ontario, the country’s most popular destination for foreign students, will also require institutions to guarantee housing is available for incoming cohorts.

Federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller said Monday that he was encouraged by the work underway in British Columbia. The announcement of a cap last week was meant to ensure the integrity of the system, but “unfinished business” remains to address abuse, he said.

“Something stinks in this and it should be brought to the light of day,” he said.

While the visa cap wasn’t “fundamentally a housing announcement,” Miller said, reducing demand will have an impact on shelter costs that will “not be insignificant in certain markets.”

His government also introduced a measure to boost supply on Monday, with Housing Minister Sean Fraser announcing that colleges, universities and developers will be eligible to apply for the apartment construction loan program to build student residences on or off-campus. The program provides low-cost financing for rental unit construction.

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“It’s not just going to create more affordable places for students to live near where they’re going to school. It’s also going to relieve pressure on the housing market,” Fraser said. “This has the potential to reduce the cost of housing for everyone in college and university towns right across the country.”

British Columbia has about 545,000 postsecondary students in the public and private sectors. Of those, more than 175,000 are foreign and hail from more than 150 countries.

Robinson said international students come to the province for a good education but too many are being exploited. The measures will “protect international students against bad actors, provide them with a better path to success and make sure B.C. continues to attract the talented students we need to fill significant gaps in the labour market and drive our economy forward,” she said.

Bloomberg.com

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