Canada is currently facing various tensions, but the issue that has taken center stage is the 25% tariff on Canadian goods set to take effect starting February 1, as imposed by Trump.
However, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is not at all intimidated. He has announced “very strong” retaliatory measures. This means that if the U.S. imposes higher tariffs on Canadian goods, Canada will impose higher tariffs on American goods in return.
Additionally, Canada is taking other strong steps to respond to Trump’s actions.
However, today’s main topic is another issue, which has led to a dire outcome.
As you may know, last year, rules regarding undergraduate education were changed or tightened in phases. Among these rules, I believe two were of major concern, as they would cause problems for both parties involved.
- The federal government of Canada announced that a cap would be imposed on the number of students. This means that the target for international students will be reduced, and fewer opportunities will be available for studying in Canada.
- The federal government also announced that, starting November 1, 2024, students will not receive a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) unless they graduate from a program related to one of five priority fields of study: agriculture and agri-food, healthcare, science/technology/engineering/mathematics, trade, and others.
Now, what has happened is that both parties have been negatively affected. Who are the two parties? You and me? No. It’s the undergraduate students and almost all of Canada’s colleges.
How? Since fewer students will be admitted, students are not getting opportunities. In fact, many are hesitant to even apply and are refraining from coming to Canada to study. This is a loss for the students as they are losing the chance to study.
Meanwhile, nearly all colleges in Canada, especially the international student admission departments, are facing significant challenges. Since fewer students are enrolling, they have fewer to teach, leaving many programs vacant.
For example, one branch of Seneca College in Ontario, Seneca Polytechnic, used to admit only international students. However, after these announcements, it has temporarily closed admissions.
Now, let’s talk about the status of programs and courses.
Ontario’s largest and most popular college, Centennial College, where both my husband and I completed our diplomas, has also been impacted. I completed the Early Childhood Education course, and my husband did the Automotive Technician course. Many Bangladeshis have studied or are studying at this college.
However, due to the impact on undergraduate programs, Centennial College has announced that they will not admit new students into 49 full-time programs for the 2025-26 academic session. Among these are 16 business programs, 14 media programs, and 7 engineering programs. Other colleges have also announced the cancellation of several programs.
The chairman of this college mentioned that these changes are a direct result of the federal government’s immigration policy changes. As a result, the college is expected to lose nearly 5,000 international students in the current academic year.
Moreover, several colleges have announced that by August 2026, some of their campuses will be closed due to financial difficulties.
The president of Algonquin College has stated, “For the school community, the message is that, starting January 9, the institution is projecting a $32 million CAD loss in revenue for 2024-25, and it is estimated that the loss will reach $60 million CAD by 2025-26, and $96 million CAD by 2026-27, unless major steps are taken to address the budget deficit.” He further added, “We are facing serious financial challenges.”
These challenges might eventually be overcome by the colleges, though it will take a long time. However, international students who previously came to study in any field will no longer have that option. Now, they must exercise more caution. If they don’t come well-informed, it will not only be a waste of money, but they may also face significant mental stress, which is certainly undesirable.
