Provinces seek to work for the integrity of international students by launching new initiatives for post-secondary education. British Columbia and Ontario are the two provinces looking forward to enhancing the integrity of post-secondary education. The government of Ontario states that it will partner with the federal government and sector partners to navigate the process of identifying false recruiters. The bad actors often take advantage of international students and have double standards concerning citizenship and employment.
Provinces seek to work for the integrity of international students
Most new initiatives have the objective of making sure that international students in post-secondary institutions at the provincial level get into academic programs that align with Ontario’s labor market requirements.
According to the province, it will assess the programs with the maximum number of international students to ensure absolute quality. This action will assist students in fulfilling local workforce demands.
In addition, Ontario’s latest update claims that the province will execute initiatives to enhance the percentage of responses in the student surveys. This will eventually ensure excellence in overall outcomes.
According to the government of British Columbia, it will also launch new initiatives to enhance the quality of post-secondary education. Furthermore, it seeks to hold the approvals for the new DLIs temporarily. This pause is likely to occur for the following two years until February 2026. British Columbia currently comprises 276 Designated Learning Institutions, which is the third-highest number. This is after 443 DLIs in Quebec and 529 DLIs in Ontario.
DLIs are the only few post-secondary institutions that can enroll international students. Education is the province’s responsibility, and the requirements to attain the status of a DLI are separate for each province.
Reviewing the private programs and institutions
To guarantee the caliber of current collaborations, Ontario is strengthening oversight procedures and halting new public college-private partnerships.
In the past few weeks, partnerships between public and private colleges have come under scrutiny. IRCC disclosed that students registered in curriculum licensing programs at private colleges with a public college partnership will no longer qualify for a Post-Graduation Work Permit after graduation.
According to IRCC, this is only due to the programs undergoing significant growth in enticing international students in the past few years. However, these programs have less supervision compared to public colleges. They act as an escape route for the PGWP eligibility.
According to British Columbia, it will be evaluating private degree programs. Furthermore, it will bring to light top-notch standards for evaluation criteria for the following:
- Quality of degree;
- The demonstrated labor market requirements for graduates;
- Appropriate Resources; and
- Student Reports
Students admitted to British Columbia’s private institutions will have to fulfill the minimum language requirements. As a result, the new international students will be more equipped for their educational and professional journey in B.C. in the near future.
Availability of Housing Options for International Students
Currently, Ontario will mandate that all colleges and universities ensure that new overseas students have access to housing.
This is consistent with the federal government of Canada’s recent declaration that low-cost loans will be available for both on- and off-campus student accommodation. The loans are part of a $40 billion financing scheme for building apartments that were restructured and unveiled in the Fall 2023 Economic Statement.
According to resources, the construction of additional student accommodation would help lower the cost of housing for everyone in cities and towns with a high concentration of students during the academic year. IRCC has made accommodation for international students a top priority in recent years.
According to Marc Miller, the recently imposed cap on the number of visas for international students will help build a more robust, more resilient program and ensure international students receive all the support they need, including accommodation, when they arrive in Canada.
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