CUE President on International Student Caps

Federal Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada, Hon. Marc Miller, recently announced the introduction of a two-year cap on new international student visa approvals in Canada, effectively limiting the number of international students who can attend post-secondary institutions across the country. This is largely in response to an exponential increase in international student numbers in recent years, especially in Ontario and British Columbia. It is these provinces that will be most impacted by these caps on new international students, while the prairie provinces, all of whom have historically been more moderate in their approach to accepting international students, may be less impacted. Importantly, this change does not impact current international students, who will have the terms and conditions of their visas honoured.

Since taking more deliberate steps towards internationalization starting in 2012, CUE has reached and sustained numbers of international students at approximately 20% of our total student population (this number fluctuates slightly from year-to-year depending on a variety of factors). This is a balanced and sustainable approach, broadly consistent with many other post-secondary institutions in Alberta. We accept international students because they introduce an important element to the education we offer. The diverse perspectives they provide in classes and the increased opportunities for cultural learning and experience around campus have become part of our identity, helping us to accomplish our institutional Mission. Each international student is important to us, and we take care to provide the services and supports that will ensure they have a high-quality experience and enjoy success in Canada or elsewhere after their time with us.

Some higher education strategists, including Alex Usher, believe that in the immediate future the international student cap in Alberta will not be lower than the number of international students we currently serve. We can hope, then, that we will not see a decrease in international student numbers at CUE, but that scenario is not necessarily assured. Arguably, Canada is sending a message to the world that international students should study elsewhere, and if this is the perception, we can expect international study applications to soften across the country, including at CUE. There are also a number of complexities that are being introduced that might deter international students from applying. Each province will be provided with an allocation of student visas for the federal government to approve. In our case it will then be up to the Government of Alberta to determine the allocations for each post-secondary institution in Alberta, and provide an individual letter of attestation for each accepted student that they must then use as part of their visa application to the Government of Canada. This new system is being developed rapidly and we do not yet know how it will work. There are many other important questions for which there are currently no answers. In the meantime, as each province works out its approach, student visa processing by the Government of Canada has been paused. This, too, creates challenges as many international students who have already applied and been accepted doubtlessly may decide to go elsewhere.

We do not yet know how well this new system will serve us. We also do not know how it will impact our intake of new international students in the fall of this year, if at all. We have budgeted accordingly, but the real impact of a reduction of new international students at CUE would be a less dynamic and diverse student body. I am heartened by the work being done by Universities Canada, the Alberta Post-Secondary Network, and individual institutions, including CUE, with the governments of Alberta and Canada, and I am hopeful that our international student numbers will stay at or around current levels. Our international students bring so much to CUE and to Canada, and despite the potential limitations, I remain committed to advocating for international student numbers at levels that benefit them and our entire university.

Dr. Tim Loreman

President and Vice-Chancellor of Concordia University of Edmonton

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Image Caption: From Intercultural Day in October 2023; International Students in our Public Health program danced as a part of the event