New public-private partnerships between universities and businesses are also temporarily banned while authorities review the quality of existing models.
This follows federal government guidelines. Decided to limit the number of study permits Issued to students wishing to come to Canada to crack down on “unsustainable growth.”
Provincial governments, particularly Ontario, have come under fire for failing to ensure universities are doing enough to support international students.
Study permits are distributed by state based on population size, and local governments decide how to allocate them to universities.
Last Friday, Ontario Universities Minister Jill Dunlop announced a number of measures to “improve the integrity” of Ontario’s post-secondary education.
The lack of affordable student housing in Ontario has been an ongoing problem, with former Immigration Minister Sean Fraser noting last year that some institutions “have five to six times more students enrolled than they have space in their buildings.”
Meanwhile, growth in Ontario's public university market has been driven by private partnerships in recent years. total revenue Increase from CAN$268.2 million in 2020/21 to CAN$420.3 million in 2021/22. Many of these institutions are staffed primarily by international students who want to stay and work in Canada.
The federal government has already excluded students enrolling in the PPP from post-study work visas from September, a move that will threaten the entire business model of many of these institutions.
Other measures announced by Ontario include:
- A high-quality review of programs offered by higher education institutions with significant numbers of international students.
- Strengthen oversight of career colleges, including improved data management, documentation processes, and efficiency of compliance investigations.
- Ensure that the programs offered meet labor market requirements so that students can work in Ontario after completing their education.
- We are working to increase response rates to our student outcomes surveys to ensure “the best academic outcomes are being achieved.”
“The problems resulting from the recent surge in students coming to Canada include the predatory practices of bad actor recruiters, misinformation about citizenship and permanent residency, false promises of job security, and inadequate accommodation for students,” Dunlop said in a statement. It's the same. Immediate attention and cooperative action.
“At the same time, we must strengthen the link between Ontario’s labor market needs and the programs available to students so that more people can pursue rewarding careers in health care and technology.”