Canada province passes bill to limit enrollment of international students

Under Bill 74, passed last weekend, the province, where French is the sole official language and spoken as a first language by the majority of the population, will assign international enrollment quotas not only to universities but also to individual schools, programs, and education levels.

The bill, titled "An Act Mainly to Improve the Regulatory Scheme Governing International Students," would amend Quebec's immigration law to give education and higher education ministers more leeway in restricting foreign students' entry.

The bill would have foreign students' ability to enroll at certain colleges and universities be determined based on certain criteria, including region, programs, language, cohort size, labor needs and "government priorities," CBC News reported.

While the bill does not impose a cap on the total number of international students, Quebec's Immigration Minister Jean-François Roberge has indicated the province will admit fewer international students in the future, according to CBC.

Critics have expressed concerns about insufficient consultation and uncertainty surrounding the alignment of the provincial rules with the federal government’s 2025 study permit cap.

"It goes without saying that this will result in a drop in enrolments, which will bring along lay offs in educational institutions and will weaken our competitive edge in the global education market," Veronica Cartagenova, vice president of global business development at Canada College, told The Pie News.

In late October, Quebec announced plans to cut immigration applications from 15,000–19,000 per year to 13,500–15,000 by 2025, with a focus on French-speaking applicants.

On Nov. 23, new French language requirements for two major immigration programs were implemented. Graduates must complete either three years of high school entirely in French or at least 75% of their Canadian course credits in the language. Some fields, like nursing, mandate 100% French instruction. Many universities now offer free French courses to support students.

The Montréal Economic Institute (MEI) cautioned that fewer international students could impact Quebec’s long-term economic growth.

"Québec universities are world-class research hubs, and limiting their ability to attract talent from abroad risks undermining efforts to recruit the best and brightest," Renaud Brossard, vice president of communications at MEI, told The Pie.

Statistics Canada suggests that as of Sept. 30, 2023, Quebec had 588,000 non-permanent residents, including nearly 124,000 study permit holders—80% of whom enroll at post-secondary institutions, according to Roberge.

The minister said 120,000 was "too much" during a news conference in Quebec City on Oct. 10, 2024.

In 2023, Canada had over one million international students, a 29% increase from 2022, according to data from the Ministry of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship. Among them, more than 17,000 were Vietnamese, ranking eighth in number. The average cost for an undergraduate student is approximately CA$36,000 (US$25,572) per year, including tuition and living expenses.

Since October last year, Canada has introduced stricter policies for international students to curb immigration numbers.

For instance, the financial proof requirement was raised to over CA$20,600, doubling the longstanding requirement of CA$10,000. Additionally, master’s and PhD students must submit study endorsements from their province, territory, or region when applying for a study permit.

In September, Canada announced it would issue only 437,000 study permits in 2025, about 10% fewer than this year. Applicants seeking a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) must now submit proof of English or French proficiency at level B2 or higher for university students and B1 or higher for college students.

Moreover, international students arriving in Canada after Nov. 1 must enroll in programs listed by IRCC to be eligible for a PGWP.