Fewer international students made it to Windsor, Ont., in 2024. Local businesses are feeling the impact

Fewer international students made their way to Windsor and Canada this year following recent immigration policy changes. Local businesses that have depended on them historically say it's having an impact.

Lisa Mulligan, part owner of Sam's Pizzeria, said the establishment has been a popular destination for students since it opened in 1946 and international students were a key part of it, as many domestic students had home-cooked meals.

In January, Mulligan took over the pizzeria, which is located near the University of Windsor, from the previous owner who ran it for almost three decades.

"We were told that in September that we would get a lot of students here. We wouldn't have to advertise or do anything. They would just automatically come. We have not seen that," she said.

Mulligan said they prepared ahead, hired more staff and changed the menu to accommodate diverse needs of international students. 

"Unfortunately, we did not see the return on the business because the students haven't been in the area. There's less foot traffic. We've talked to other businesses. Everybody's feeling the pinch," she said.

CBC spoke with dozens of restaurants in and around the University of Windsor and St. Clair College and all reported declining sales, blaming the drop in international students and inflationary pressures.

In January, Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced new limits to the international student program that included a 35-per cent reduction in the number of study permits it issues this year. In September, the federal government announced it would slash the number of visas it issues by another 10 per cent. The new target for 2025 and 2026 will be 437,000 permits. 

This year, there were 1,308 fewer international students at the University of Windsor and 628 fewer international students at St. Clair College this year compared to 2023, according to data provided by the institutions.

Mulligan is seeing that firsthand with "dropping sales."

"We have only seen one-third of what they were getting in previous years," she said.

"It's not busy compared to other years where there would be standing room only, sometimes there were lineups outside, you couldn't get in. We have not seen that happen this year."

Mulligan said the government has put them in "a bad position by taking away students." She worries if things continue as they are, it will be difficult to keep operations afloat.

"It's tough. When the government makes decisions like this, they really don't think about how they're impacting the businesses in the area," she said.