Canadian colleges slash jobs as number of international students falls sharply

Among the hardest deed are colleges, wherever approvals for planetary students plummeted by 60 per cent. This diminution has prompted institutions similar Centennial College and Mohawk College to standard backmost significantly. Centennial College, based successful Toronto, precocious announced the suspension of 49 programs — astir 28 per cent of its full offerings — for the 2025-26 world year. Programs successful fields specified arsenic tourism, journalism, 3D animation, and nutrient and beverage absorption are among those being cut. Craig Stephenson, Centennial’s president and CEO, told CTV News that occupation losses among unit and module are inevitable but did not specify the fig of positions to beryllium eliminated.

Similarly, Mohawk College has been grappling with fiscal challenges, announcing layoffs of up to 400 unit members to offset a projected $50-million budget shortage for the 2025-26 fiscal year. The assemblage has already terminated 20 per cent of its administrative workforce and suspended 16 programs, on with assemblage outreach initiatives similar City School. Faculty layoffs, described arsenic the “final phase” of cuts, are expected to follow.

Ontario’s Sheridan and Fleming Colleges person besides announced akin measures. Mohawk and Conestoga besides said they volition laic drastically trim their unit hundreds. This follows the Canadian government’s determination to slash the fig of caller pupil visas successful 2025, and again successful 2026 aft cutting them by a 3rd past year.

The downturn has exposed the vulnerabilities of Canada’s higher acquisition sector, which has go progressively babelike connected planetary tuition fees. In 2023, the fig of planetary students successful Canada surpassed 1 million, marking a 29 per cent summation implicit the erstwhile year. However, the national government’s restrictive policies, combined with a little support complaint for survey permits — conscionable 50 per cent successful 2024 compared to the anticipated 60 per cent — person reversed this maturation trend.

Critics reason that the government’s attack has led to an “overcorrection.” The spillover effects of antagonistic sentiment astir Canada’s acquisition assemblage person discouraged students astatine each levels, including those exempt from the caps, specified arsenic those successful superior and secondary schools.

As the planetary pupil numbers are expected to diminution further successful 2025, institutions are calling connected policymakers to reconsider their strategies. “We request to refocus connected the worth propositions that Canada offers,” Meti Basiri, CEO of ApplyBoard told Toronto Star. “It’s clip to reassure prospective students that Canada remains an charismatic destination for acquisition and vocation opportunities.”

The national authorities has been coming successful for dense disapproval owed to the steep shortage of some lodging and jobs coupled with the soaring fig of planetary students. As per the Immigration, Refugess and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the fig of planetary students with progressive survey permits successful Canada changeable up to 1,040,985 successful 2023, a 29 per cent summation implicit 2022.