Ford’s government wants to reserve close to all of Ontario’s available international student spots for pubic colleges and universities, which will alienate private career colleges.

A plan was proposed to cabinet for deliberation, under which 96 per cent of foreign student applications would be allotted to Ontario’s 24 public colleges and 23 universities, with the four per cent remainder going to language schools and private universities, among other receivers, as per sources.

Applications will be prioritized for skilled trades, STEM, and childcare programs, with no school holding the ability to exceed its current permit numbers.

The Ford administration is also looking at setting a ratio that would not allow the share of new international permits to get more than 55 per cent of any school’s first year domestic enrolment.

Colleges and universities must also guarantee that housing options are available for incoming international students.

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Ottawa’s recent changes to the international student program, which were initiated earlier this year – and which put a two-year cap of 360,000 on study permit issuances (excluding master’s or doctoral students or those in elementary or secondary schools) – are estimated to cost Ontario in terms of revenue.

The government’s budget noted a $3 billion revenue loss, which will be accumulated over the next three years because of fewer high-tuition paying foreign students in colleges alone.

This has led to a provincial deficit of $9.8 billion, as per the Toronto Star.

Along with a cap on study permits, Ottawa’s January 2 announcement had the following inclusions:

• Students enrolled in programs delivered by public-private partnerships will no longer be eligible for post-graduation work permits (PGWPs) as of September 1, 2024.
• There will be new limits on work permits for spouses of international students.
• Study permits will now be accompanied by a provincial attestation letter, with mechanisms for the same being introduced by provinces and territories no later than March 31, 2024.

Till now, Alberta, BC, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, and Saskatchewan have mechanisms in place to plan to distribute their share of spots.

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Study permits are being allotted based on population, with provinces being in charge of dividing them up.

Ontario, which welcomes 51 per cent of international students, is going to be one of the most affected provinces by the recent changes. Miller has said that those colleges and universities that did not contribute to the over-enrolment of international students should be exempt from being impacted by IRCC’s recent changes, and that he may need to exercise his federal authority if any province starts punishing its good actors.

This may be a contributing factor for Ontario’s majority allocation of permits to public colleges and universities.