Overview British Columbia
The province will also impose stricter rules on post-secondary education, minimum language requirements, degree quality, and labor market demands.
Suspension of New Applications at Newly Established Institutions
In an effort to “eliminate exploitative practices and improve the quality of post-secondary education,” the government of British Columbia has declared that it would halt all new applications from foreign students at newly established post-secondary institutions for a period of two years.
Government Action to Manage Immigration of Foreign Students
The action is being taken in an effort by the Canadian government to slow down the immigration of foreign students, which has been partially attributed to a lack of rental properties and a 7.7% increase in rent across the country in December of last year compared to the same month last year.
Implementation of Uniform Policy Across Provinces
By the end of 2023, there were 1,028,850 international students studying in Canada, up from 352,325 in 2015. Since there will be no increase in the overall number of foreign students studying in Canada as a result of the cap, the number of visas that the government grants will roughly match the number that expires. The policy shall be implemented uniformly, per capita, across all provinces. But because they have more international students than other provinces, Ontario and British Columbia will have an easier time adjusting.
Approximately one-third of the 545,000 postsecondary students enrolled in British Columbia are international students. Both public and private tertiary educational institutions in the province charge up to ten times more for tuition than Canadians do in order to attract the lucrative international student market.
“It is imperative that we put an end to dishonest individuals deceiving students,” stated Ms. Robinson. “Here in British Columbia, we’re taking steps to strengthen enforcement and set higher standards for educational institutions that accept students from overseas.”
Oversight and Inspection of Postsecondary Schools
According to her, more regular inspections of private postsecondary schools would be part of the new oversight to make sure the new quality criteria are being met. Higher evaluation standards, among other things, will be imposed by B.C. on private degree programs. Private universities will need to provide proof that the labor market needs their graduates. Minimum language criteria for private training institutions are also specified by the province.
There are about 545,000 post-secondary students in British Columbia, both domestic and foreign students attending public and private universities.
Out of those, international post-secondary students from over 150 countries make up over 175,000 of the total.
