Ontario Urges Universities to Guarantee Housing for Each International Student

In response to the increasing number of international students and the intensified housing crisis in the country, the Canadian government has urged universities and colleges in Ontario to guarantee housing for all international students.

The announcement came a few days after the federal government introduced a two-year cap on study permit applications to stabilize the number of international students in Canada, Erudera.com reports.

Jill Dunlop, Ontario’s Minister of Colleges and Universities, said that the government will also require post-secondary institutions enrolling a significant number of international students to undergo a review of their study programs.

“The challenges stemming from the recent spike in students coming to Canada, including predatory practices by bad-actor recruiters, misinformation regarding citizenship and permanent residency, false promises of guaranteed employment, and inadequate housing for students, require immediate attention and collaborative action,” Dunlop said in a statement.

According to the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the number of approved study permits for international students will decrease by 35 percent this year compared to 2023, to about 360,000. Moreover, the country will no longer grant work permits to some students after completing their studies, starting in September 2024.

“To implement the cap, as of January 22, 2024, every study permit application submitted to IRCC will also require an attestation letter from a province or territory. Provinces and territories are expected to establish a process for issuing attestation letters to students by no later than March 31, 2024,” IRCC said in a January 22 statement.

The department also stressed that some institutions have admitted more international students just to generate revenues while these students, who, in surging numbers, have entered Canada, have failed to receive the proper support they need to be successful during their studies.

While announcing the cap on international student permit applications for 2024, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Marc Miller said that these measures aim to protect a system that has paved the way for abuse and to ensure that students have the necessary resources for a successful academic experience.

Data indicate that at the end of 2023, there were more than one million international students in Canada, most attending institutions in Ontario, British Columbia, and Quebec.

Of the 1,028,850 international students with approved study permits in the country, 526,015 were in Ontario, followed by 202,565 students in British Columbia.

Canada is one of the most sought-after study destinations among international students, gaining popularity, especially for allowing these students to obtain work permits after graduation. International students contribute about $16.4 billion to the Canadian economy yearly.