“Given today’s announcement from the federal government in further reducing the existing allocation of international student study permits by another 10 per cent in 2025, the Council of Ontario Universities (COU) is concerned that further changes will continue to erode Canada’s global brand as a premier destination for top talent.
Despite universities having acted responsibly, with leading practices in place to support international students, while maintaining modest levels of international enrolment growth, these additional restrictions will only exacerbate the existing financial pressures on the sector.
The province’s decision to allocate only 16 per cent of the cap on international study permit applications to universities for 2024-25 has placed limitations on their ability to recruit top students from around the world.
The federal announcement to include graduate and PhD students within the cap will add further complexity to the application process for these students and risk discouraging more highly skilled students from applying to Canada. This could impact advanced degrees in fields such as engineering, health care, life sciences, AI and more. We cannot afford to lose the vital talent, innovation and research our province needs.
Our universities and local regions continue to be enriched by students who come from across the globe and we need to ensure that universities can continue to provide world-class education and remain competitive on the global stage.
The reduction in international student enrolment not only diminishes the cultural and academic diversity that enriches the learning environment for all students, but also risks the long-term financial sustainability of Ontario’s universities.
That’s why COU is calling for the federal and provincial governments to help restore Canada’s competitiveness in attracting top talent from around the world.
We ask the federal government to rebuild Canada’s global reputation to ensure we can attract the best and brightest from around the world, and for the provincial government to work with universities to rebalance a fair allocation of 2025-26 study permits for universities, so that Ontario remains a welcoming and competitive destination for global talent.
Specifically, COU is looking for the province to protect universities’ existing allocation of provincial attestation letters, and ensure that the full allocation of spaces that Ontario receives for master’s and doctoral students goes to Ontario universities.
This would help rebalance the current allocation while fostering greater economic growth and prosperity.”
– Steve Orsini, President and CEO, Council of Ontario Universities