The Ford government will give nearly all its international study permits to public colleges, prioritizing skilled trades to "support Ontario’s labour market needs." None will go to career colleges.
A full 96 per cent of permits will go to publicly assisted colleges and universities. The rest will go to language schools, private universities and other institutions, the government announced Wednesday.
The move is in response to the federal government's cap on international students, which will force Ontario to cut its intake by about half.
Programs in the skilled trades, health human resources, STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), hospitality and child care will be prioritized, as will students who can speak French, the government said. It added that, except for "high-demand areas," schools' international permits can't make up more than 55 per cent of the institution’s 2023 first-year domestic enrolment.
“We are protecting the integrity of our province’s post-secondary education system by attracting the best and brightest international students to Ontario to study in areas that are critical to our economy,” Colleges and Universities Minister Jill Dunlop said in a release.
Among universities, the government estimates that only Algoma University will see fewer applications this year — but 11 out of 24 colleges will see declines. Colleges with public-private college partnerships and Conestoga College will see the largest decline, it said.
Ontario recently announced $1.3 billion for post-secondary institutions, which the industry and an expert panel said is well short of what it needs to stay afloat. This week's provincial budget estimated that colleges will take a $1.4-billion revenue hit due to the lack of international students. That number rises to $1.7 billion next year.
