This month, the federal government announced a limit on the number of permits they will grant to international undergraduate students in 2024.
The cap will be set at approximately 360,000 approved study permits, a decrease of 35 per cent from 2023.
It is unclear how the change will affect post-secondary institutions in British Columbia. In a press release, the federal government stated that they will allot a portion of the total to each province and territory, weighted by population.
“I think these are really welcome initiatives by the government to control this burgeoning industry that has had challenges,” said Satwinder Kaur Bains, an associate professor and the director of the South Asian Institute at the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV).
UFV has not yet issued a statement on how the university will address the change.
CIVL Radio spoke with Bains about the cultural context of the change and further support that governments and institutions could provide to international students.