Ontario’s postsecondary institutions have lost more than 90,000 international students over the last two years amid an effort by the federal government to cap the number of study permits it issues, according to a new Statistics Canada report.
The number of international students peaked in Ontario during the 2023-2024 year following a steady rise since 2020 but is now expected to drop below 2021-2022 levels, according to the study.
Statistics Canada says that its preliminary estimates suggest that Ontario will have 92,000 fewer international students in the 2025-2026 academic year compared to 2023-2024, representing a 36 per cent drop.
“The relative share of international students among all postsecondary students has increased fivefold since the early 2000s, from about five per cent to nearly 25 per cent,” the study says. “A steady decline in the number of international students is anticipated in Canada, particularly in Ontario, where the effects should be among the largest.”
Ontario has 54 per cent of Canada’s international students despite Ontario only making up 39 per cent of Canada’s overall population.
The decline in international students was seen across Canada, with a 26 per cent decline in Atlantic Canada, 14 per cent in Quebec, 17 per cent in the Prairie provinces, and 24 per cent in British Columbia over the last two years.
Schools across Canada have been struggling to adapt to the new federal policy on international students. A March report by Canada’s Auditor General found that the immigration department had approved less than half the number of study permits they were expected to in 2024.
“The schools found a way to abuse international students for money, and they took advantage of it. And if your institution can’t run profitably without exploiting international students, that’s not our fault. That’s your fault,” Algonquin College student Robin Gifford told CTV News in March.
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A number of Ontario colleges have announced layoffs in recent months amid a drop in enrollment.
George Brown Polytechnic announced a new round of layoffs in April after saying they were going to cut 51 jobs in a March announcement that alluded to “financial pressures, largely driven by changes to international student policies.”
Humber Polytechnic offered “voluntary exit packages” to all staff members in February.
