International student enrolment has dropped below federal cap, universities say

Universities Canada says enrolment by students from outside Canada has fallen below the cap the federal government set on international student visas this year.

The immigration minister announced a cap in January as a way to quell the rapid increase in the number of international students, citing pressure on housing, health care and other services.

The new policy limits the number of student visa applications the government would accept into processing, and it’s expected that will result in a 35 per cent drop in the number of students in 2024 compared to last year.

Universities Canada president Gabriel Miller says the change will actually be bigger than the government predicted, and that will take a major financial toll on schools.

He says the cap created uncertainty for prospective students, and the Immigration Department’s pause in visa processing while the government implemented the cap may have led those students to look elsewhere.

Miller says the full impact won’t be clear until schools see how many students turn up in September.