By Mata Press Service

British Columbia is introducing new protections for international students by setting higher standards and more rigorous requirements for institutions enrolling international students. 

Among these protections is a new Education Quality Assurance (EQA) code of practice, which will require institutions to meet higher standards for student support and protection in order to be eligible to enrol international students.

New strengthened standards include:

• clear and accurate marketing and promotional information;
• accountability for education agents;
• tuition transparency; and
• better information about student supports, including academic and housing support, well-being and health.

“Our commitment is clear: we’re dedicated to upholding the integrity of B.C.’s education sector and protecting international students,” said Ravi Parmar, Parliamentary Secretary for International Credentials.

“I want international students to know that we’ve got their back.”

The new measures include guidelines for public institutions, as well as targeted measures for private institutions.

Some of the guidelines issued for public institutions include:

• limiting international enrolment to 30% of an institution’s total enrolment;
• providing tuition-fee transparency to prevent unexpected international student fee increases; and
• requiring the development of new international education strategic plans, improved student services, housing supports, and standards to ensure Indigenous and domestic students are not displaced.

The EQA designation certifies that institutions meet or exceed the institutional quality assurance standards set by the Province and is required for all public and private institutions enrolling international students.

“International students come to British Columbia hoping for a great education experience and many hope to enter the workforce after they complete their studies,” said Prince Solanki, an international student from Camosun College and external executive with the student society. “Ensuring students have access to a range of services and supports along the way is critical to ensuring they succeed and thrive. The strengthened standards being introduced by the B.C. government are one more welcome addition to strengthen the protections offered to international students like me.”

According to the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE), in 2023, 20% of Canada’s international students studied in the province of BC. This includes more than 217,600 international postsecondary students from more than 150 countries, approximately 111,900 of whom are at public institutions and 105,700 who study at private institutions.

The Vancouver Sun recently reported that international students from 150 countries make up nearly 40 percent of the 533,000 students enrolled in British Columbia’s post-secondary institutions, including private colleges and trade schools.

For international students, tuition fees can be four times higher, or more, than those for domestic students. For instance, at the University of British Columbia, an international student can expect to pay $45,000 a year in tuition, which is nearly five times more than what a domestic student pays. At Kwantlen Polytechnic University, the international tuition fee of over $21,000 a year is 4.5 times higher than the fee for domestic students.

International students spent around $37.3 billion on tuition, accommodation, and discretionary items and contributed $7.4 billion in tax revenue in 2022, according to recently released data from the Government of Canada.

Despite these significant contributions, Canada is reassessing the number of long-term visas granted to foreign students, reflecting the government's intention to moderate immigration and population growth.

Immigration Minister Marc Miller said that although Canada has for years used universities and colleges to bring in educated, working-age immigrants, study visas shouldn’t imply a guarantee of future residency or citizenship.

“Canada is now being seen as less welcoming as it has been before” for students, Miller said. But the update of that, he said, is that a study visa “is less and less being seen as a cheap way to attain permanent residency or entry into Canada, and more of a qualitative proposition — which is where we want to see it go back, to its original intent.”

His statements reflect a shift in Canada's approach to international education, as the government seeks to refine its immigration policies.

Miller suggested that the focus should be on attracting high-quality talent and providing a clearer understanding of what studying in Canada entails, rather than viewing it as an easy route to permanent residency

According to the new government report, the analysis indicates that international students' contributions to Canada’s economy continue to grow.

In line with an increasing number of international students, overall spending more than doubled between 2016 and 2022, from $15.5 billion to $37.3 billion, representing an increase of 15.7% per year, the report stated.

However, starting in 2024, Canada has imposed a temporary two-year limit on the number of new study permits issued and will only issue 364,000 such permits for the year.

The government’s rationale for these changes is that the rising number of international students has put significant pressure on Canada’s infrastructure, including housing and healthcare.

There have also been concerns about the quality of education at some institutions, particularly private colleges.

These changes aim to slow the growth rate of international student admissions, allowing for improvements in infrastructure and ensuring educational offerings remain high-quality.