Just a week after the Federal Government’s announcement to put a cap on international study permits in Canada’s post-secondary institutions, BC has unveiled its own plans on how it would keep a check on bad actors exploiting international students.
The plan includes pausing new institutions from enrolling international students, establishing higher standards for private degree programs and rolling out new language requirements. The Province’s new measures aim to bring in higher standards and greater accountability for educational institutions in B.C.
Selina Robinson, Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills, in a press conference in Surrey this week made the announcement. “International students come here for a good education, but too many are being exploited or taken advantage of. That’s why we’re introducing more stringent requirements for institutions and robust safeguards to protect international students against bad actors, provide them with a better path to success, and make sure B.C. continues to attract the talented students we need to fill significant gaps in the labour market and drive our economy forward.”
Under key changes, the Province will pause approvals for two years, until February 2026, of new post-secondary institutions seeking to enrol international students. New institutions will not have access to the federal Designated Learning Institutions list to recruit international students until the moratorium ends. Current institutions may renew their designation during this period.
To ensure students receive quality education, private degree programs will need to meet higher standards for approval. Standards include higher assessment criteria for degree quality, demonstrated labour-market need for graduates and appropriate resources, and student supports.
BC is also setting minimum language requirements at private training institutions to ensure new international students are better prepared for their educational and professional journey in B.C.
The Province will implement more frequent inspections of private post-secondary institutions to ensure that new and improved quality standards are met and that students are properly supported.
Public post-secondary institutions will also be required to post tuition levels for students for the entire time they are studying. This ensures incoming students know the entire costs of their education before they start their program.
B.C. has approximately 545,000 post-secondary students, which includes domestic and international students in the public and private sectors. Approximately 82,000 international students in B.C. are at public post-secondary institutions, and approximately 94,000 international students are at private post-secondary institutions. Work to address exploitive practices began in spring 2023. Since then, the federal government has announced limits on international student enrolment at post-secondary institutions.
“The Province is working quickly to establish the systems needed for the new requirements set by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, including a process to issue attestation letters to international student applicants,” Robinson added.
“I have been fortunate to have a great experience as an international student in B.C. at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, which offers lots of supports for international students,” said Arjun Taneja, an international student at Kwantlen Polytechnic University working as an administrative assistant at DIVERSEcity Community Resources Society. “But some of my friends who have come here and attended some private schools have, unfortunately, had negative experiences. I’m happy to learn that there will be strengthened standards to ensure international students get the education they came to B.C. for, as many of us are here on our own at a young age and it’s nice to know government is looking out for us while we attend post-secondary.”
