Students’ Union raises concerns over international student visa cuts
By Malia Jolly, October 27 2024—
The federal government’s recent decision to reduce international student visas by 10 per cent sparked concern across Canadian universities. While the changes may not affect enrollment directly, questions linger about tuition hikes, funding cuts and support for international students.
The cap, now set at 437,000 permits for 2025 and 2026, follows a similar measure in 2022 aimed at controlling temporary resident numbers to manage housing and infrastructure pressures. As universities across the country assess the implications of this decision, broader conversations about campus diversity and financial planning have emerged.
Alberta’s enrollment and financial dependence on international students
In an interview with the Gauntlet, U of C Students’ Union Vice President External Mateusz Salmassi discussed this policy change and its potential impact on the university’s international student population.
“In mid-September, the federal government announced it would lower the cap on international student permits to 437,000, but Alberta has never come close to reaching its ceiling,” said Salmassi.
Data from the Business Council of Alberta shows that, compared to other provinces, Alberta has had the lower internatnational students since 2016. During the 2021-22 academic year, Alberta had approximately 25,000 international students enrolled.
Regarding potential challenges for U of C, Salmassi suggested that the main concern could be for the families of current international students, as the reduced cap might limit future applications.
“Some international students might be concerned about the ability of their siblings or family members to apply to U of C,” he said. “I don’t foresee any major disruptions for the broader U of C community.”
Regarding revenue, Salmassi noted that international students have become integral to the university’s financial strategy due to drastic cuts in provincial funding since 2019. He pointed out that international students pay 75 per cent more in tuition than domestic students, contributing 17.4 per cent to U of C’s tuition revenue in 2019-20, which increased to 22.8 per cent by 2022-23.
“It’s important to recognize the concerns about international students being used as ‘cash cows,’” he said.
Transparency, tuition increases and support services
While acknowledging recent improvements, Salmassi emphasized the need for greater transparency regarding U of C’s recruitment strategy.
“The university must be more honest in advertising to international students about what they will face when they arrive here,” he said. “More clarity is still needed, especially regarding financial support.”
When asked how U of C might prepare for potential decreases in international enrollment, Salmassi expressed concern that the university might use this scenario to justify tuition hikes.
“I encourage students to be critical,” he said. “The university may use the potential decrease in international student enrollment as a reason to justify more aggressive tuition increases.”
Regarding services and programs dependent on international students, Salmassi noted that despite rising enrollment over the past 5-10 years, support for international students has lagged.
For instance, he pointed out that the spending on international student services saw only a 0.16 per cent increase from 2022 to 2023, despite ongoing growth in demand. This figure is outlined in Calgary’s Mandatory Non-Instructional Fee (MNIF) 2024 Report, which tracks changes in student service funding year-over-year, reflecting broader financial challenges faced by the university.
Discussing diversity, Salmassi acknowledged the vital role international students play in fostering a global perspective at U of C but criticized the lack of sufficient support.
“The university often talks about how international students benefit diversity, but it needs to couple that talk with actual support,” he said.
Salmassi identified programs like graduate data science and graduate mechanical engineering as potentially more affected by the cap, given their higher reliance on international students.
“Those are considered ‘revenue-generating’ programs for the university,” he said, adding that U of C operates as a public university, not a private college.
Housing concerns and policy implications
On the impact of the housing cap, Salmassi contrasted Alberta’s situation with Ontario’s. The housing cap refers to federal measures limiting the number of temporary residents, including international students, as a strategy to reduce pressure on Canada’s housing supply. It aims to address concerns that the influx of international students is driving up rental prices, especially in provinces with larger populations like Ontario.
“The international student population in Alberta is not significant enough to have a sizable impact on housing or the labor market,” he said.
He criticized the broader narrative that blames international students for such issues.
“The idea that they’re ‘sucking up all housing ability’ is based on Ontario’s situation, not Alberta’s,” said Salmassi.
Salmassi emphasized the need for transparency and collaboration as U of C navigates the impacts of visa reductions.
“As with everything we urge the university to be honest with its stakeholders about the actual picture of things and if any changes are to be made that they must consult the students meaningfully as to how that would look.”
More information on federal visa cuts can be found here.