Federal immigration cuts leave B.C. with fewer international students than forecast: AG report

An Auditor General of Canada report has found that B.C. saw drastically fewer international students than was forecast ever since wide-ranging federal immigration cuts began in 2024.

Those in the post-secondary sector say it's leading to program cuts, faculty layoffs and even varying effects on smaller towns and workforces.

According to the auditor general's report released Monday, B.C. expected to see an 18 per cent drop in study permit approvals in 2024 — but it actually saw a reduction of 66 per cent.

In colleges and universities that relied on international students' higher annual fees, the steep drop in international student numbers have meant significant program cuts.

Dale McCartney, a University of the Fraser Valley professor who has researched years of international student policy in Canada, said the report's findings weren't a surprise.

"It's very clear how few people in Ottawa are actually thinking about this from the lens of what serves international students, what serves Canadian communities, what serves, you know, universities or colleges," he said.

McCartney argued the impact of the cuts is greater on smaller colleges, in addition to smaller communities as a whole.

The academic said the drastic drop in international admissions will mean, in a few years, there could be a generation of post-secondary students who have very few international colleagues — which McCartney argued will lead to a lack of global perspectives.

"The reality of Canada is that we are totally dependent on temporary residents. They run our businesses ... they are a huge part of the energy of this country," he said.

"I would say it's a very poorly conceived policy that was created haphazardly. And the effects of it are very clear," he added.

North Island College, which has multiple campuses on Vancouver Island, has already announced multiple program cuts and staff layoffs as it faces an $8.4 million-decline in international revenue by 2027.

Jen Wrye, the president of the North Island College Faculty Association, said a "considerable proportion" of the college's faculty were being laid off due to "mismanagement and poor decision-making" from governments.

"We are in the thick of closing down programs that have either high demand and or important economic outcomes for this region and for this country," she said.

While the report noted the effect of the severe drop in students in smaller provinces, Wrye argued they also disproportionately affected smaller communities within large provinces like B.C.