February 7th, 2024 at 05:16 am
Provinces Aim to Uphold the Integrity of International Students in Canada
Provinces are introducing new postsecondary education measures to protect the integrity of international students. British Columbia and Ontario are the two provinces aiming to improve the integrity of postsecondary education. The Ontario government has stated that it will work with the federal government and sector partners to detect bogus recruiters. Bad actors frequently use overseas students and have double standards when it comes to citizenship and job opportunities.
Provinces strive to promote the integrity of international students.
The majority of new initiatives aim to ensure that international students in provincial post-secondary institutions enroll in academic programs that align with Ontario’s labour market criteria.
According to the province, it will evaluate programs with the highest number of overseas students to assure absolute excellence. This step will help students meet the demands of the local workforce.
Furthermore, Ontario’s most recent report states that the province would implement steps to increase the percentage of replies in student surveys. This will eventually lead to excellence in total outcomes.
According to the government of British Columbia, new efforts will be launched to improve the quality of postsecondary education. Furthermore, it intends to temporarily halt approvals for new DLIs. This hiatus is anticipated to continue for the next two years, until February 2026. British Columbia currently has 276 Designated Learning Institutions, the third-greatest number. This comes after 443 DLIs in Quebec and 529 DLIs in Ontario.
DLIs are among the few post-secondary institutions that can accept international students. Education is the responsibility of the province, and the standards for DLI certification vary per province.
Reviewing the private programs and institutions.
To ensure the quality of existing cooperation, Ontario is tightening oversight procedures and prohibiting new public-private partnerships.
In recent weeks, agreements between public and private institutions have come under examination. IRCC announced that students enrolled in curriculum licensing programs at private institutions with a public college relationship will no longer be eligible for a Post-Graduation Work Permit after graduation.
According to IRCC, this is primarily owing to the programs’ strong rise in attracting international students in recent years. However, these programs receive less supervision than public colleges. They provide an escape route for PGWP eligibility.
British Columbia plans to evaluate private degree programs. Furthermore, it will highlight high-quality evaluation criteria for the following:
- Quality of degree;
- The labour market requirements that have been established for graduates;
- Appropriate Resources; and
- Student Reports
Students admitted to British Columbia’s private universities must meet basic language standards. As a result, incoming international students will be better prepared for their academic and professional journeys in British Columbia in the near future.
Available Housing Options for International Students
Currently, Ontario will require all colleges and universities to ensure that incoming international students have access to housing.
This is consistent with the federal government of Canada’s recent announcement that low-cost loans will be available for both on- and off-campus student housing. The loans are part of a $40 billion financing package for flat construction that was reworked and announced in the Fall 2023 Economic Statement.
According to sources, the development of extra student housing would help reduce the cost of housing for everyone in cities and towns with a significant student population during the academic year. In recent years, IRCC has prioritized accommodations for international students.
According to Marc Miller, the recently imposed cap on the number of visas for international students will help construct a more robust and resilient program and guarantee that international students receive all the support they require, including housing, upon arrival in Canada.
Ontario takes action to ‘improve integrity’ for International students
Five days after the federal government put a ban on international study visas, the Ford administration is implementing new rules to help protect the integrity of schools and universities.
The new measures include mandating colleges and universities to provide lodging for incoming overseas students and putting a ban on new public-private institution collaborations.
“We all want to ensure that students coming to this province have the best opportunities,” said Simcoe North MPP Jill Dunlop. “They are coming here to get an education. “These are young people looking for the Canadian dream.”
The province is disappointed with the federal government’s “lack of consultation” with stakeholders, postsecondary institutions, and provincial governments.
Earlier this week, Federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced a 35% reduction in the number of study permits for this year; however, the number of permits distributed to each province is still being established.
With Ontario having the greatest international student enrollment, numbers in the province might plummet by up to 50%.
“We need to strengthen the links between Ontario’s labour market needs and the programs being offered to students so we can get even more people into rewarding careers in health care and the skilled trades,” Dunlop told the legislature.
While the province implements its new guidelines, some blame the Ford administration for the current scenario.
“When it comes to funding universities and colleges, Ontario is dead last,” the Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation said earlier this week. “Ford has deliberately defunded post-secondary education in Ontario for years, creating a situation where universities and colleges were forced to become reliant on international tuition fees as a significant source of revenue.”
The auditor general of Ontario conducted a study in the year 2022 that found that the province’s educational institutions have become more dependent on the tuition fees paid by foreign students.
In the meantime, the government of Ontario announced that it would study additional steps to crack down on “bad-actor” recruiters who take advantage of international students.
ALSO, READ
- FIRSTLY, CANADA WORK VISA 2023: NO LMIA || VISA & ACCOMMODATION PROVIDED
- SECONDLY, BECOME A TEACHER IN CANADA | PERMANENT RESIDENCY | MOVE TO CANADA
- THIRDLY, LIST OF COUNTRIES WHERE UAE EXPATS CAN GET AN E-VISA
- MOREOVER, CANADA’S FAMILY CLASS AND SPOUSE WORK PERMITS ARE OPEN
- THEN, CANADA OFFERS NEW INVESTMENT PROSPECTS IN IMMIGRANT SETTLEMENT SERVICES
- ALSO, CHECK THE NEWLY UNVEILED CANADA’S ‘WORLD’S MOST BEAUTIFULLY DESIGNED’ PASSPORT
- MOREOVER, CANADA’S FAMILY CLASS AND SPOUSE WORK PERMITS ARE OPEN
- THEN, CANADA OFFERS NEW INVESTMENT PROSPECTS IN IMMIGRANT SETTLEMENT SERVICES
- ALSO, CHECK THE NEWLY UNVEILED CANADA’S ‘WORLD’S MOST BEAUTIFULLY DESIGNED’ PASSPORT
- THEN, CANADA OFFERS NEW INVESTMENT PROSPECTS IN IMMIGRANT SETTLEMENT SERVICES
- ALSO, CHECK THE NEWLY UNVEILED CANADA’S ‘WORLD’S MOST BEAUTIFULLY DESIGNED’ PASSPORT
- MOREOVER, CANADA’S FAMILY CLASS AND SPOUSE WORK PERMITS ARE OPEN
- FINALLY, THE BEST AND WORST COUNTRIES FOR SCHENGEN VISAS FOR TRAVELLERS REVEAL