We discussed last week how the provincial governments of British Columbia (BC)
and Ontario allocated study permit applications in quite different ways. The
government of British Columbia allocated its funds fairly, but the government
of Ontario gave public colleges and universities 96% of the total, leaving language
schools and private universities with just 4% and private colleges with no
quota.
The next jurisdiction to disclose how it will handle its
quota for study permits was Nova Scotia, and similar to Ontario, institutions
benefited greatly from the allocation.
Twelve,900 applications were allocated to Nova Scotia for 2024—roughly 7,000
fewer than the total number of applications filed in 2023. Of that total,
11,565 (90%) will be distributed between Nova Scotia Community College and the
province's ten institutions. 526 of the remaining are designated for nine
language schools, and 710 are set aside "for a dozen private career
colleges." There are still 99 open spots for applications, "to
address unforeseen events and new initiatives."
Although universities in Nova Scotia did the best overall
when it came to the distribution of applications, some are having a harder year
than others because the province also distributed applications on an
institution-by-institution basis. Cape Breton University (CBU) is the most
affected, with a 52% drop in applications to 5,086, according to CBC News.
There will be a 44% decrease in resources available to Mount Saint Vincent
University (MSVU), amounting to 860, while Université Ste-Anne would see a 34%
reduction to 962.
With a mere 30% conversion rate, CBU's president, David Dingwall, warned CBC
News that the university "is facing a severe financial crisis unless it is
able to convince immigration officials to grant more prospective students the
permits they seek for”:
It will be a major setback if the conversion rate doesn't
increase. We should be alright if the conversion rate increases in our favor.
However, you can't assume that."
More bad news for CBU was that just 84 applications were received by the
language centre it is affiliated with, the Cape Breton Language Centre. CBU had
requested 500.
The province's Advanced Education Minister, Brian Wong, gave a general
statement regarding the application distribution throughout Nova Scotian
schools, saying, "We've worked hard trying to make sure that 12,900 number
is allocated fairly amongst the institutions." Additionally, we wanted to
guarantee that schools who were prepared for expansion were given the chance to
do so.
The choice to significantly raise some universities'
application quotas seems to have been motivated by such line of reasoning. For
instance, Dalhousie University in Halifax has received 1,180 applications, an
increase of 70% from 2023–2024. Acadia University saw a 14% increase and St.
Francis Xavier University received a 19% jump.
Mr. Wong expressed his "hopes" that all institutions will remain
profitable, even though many might experience significant drops in their income
if the number of overseas students (and fees) drops. According to him, hiring
qualified applicants will be essential for colleges to boost conversion rates.
According to Saltwire.com, barely 40% of the 19,000 study permit applications
that Nova Scotian colleges submitted for the 2023–2024 academic year were
approved. That year's average nationwide approval was sixty percent.
As of right now, the government of Nova Scotia has no
intention of giving money to organizations that might experience operating
difficulties if enrollment in overseas students drastically declines. "The
universities only get their money from government or students so the money is
going to have to come from somewhere, and losing international students will
certainly have a very serious financial impact on these institutions,"
opposition party leader Zach Churchill stated, suggesting that this may need to
change.
Understanding PAL
status and provincial allotments
All Canadian provinces have already dispersed their share of
study permit applications for 2024, however specifics and procedures differ.
Additionally, all provinces are currently issuing provincial attestation
letters (PALs). This indicates that all provinces have now started processing
study permits for students impacted by the cap.
In the past, the IRCC has said that it will distribute about 606,000
applications for study permits across all provinces and territories, with the
aim of awarding about 360,000 additional study permits to students starting in
2024 (excluding those enrolling in master's/doctoral or K–12 programs).
We understand that the following allocations are in place for new study permit
applications in 2024 based on provincial disclosures made thus far.
|
British Columbia |
83000 |
|
Alberta |
41000 |
|
Ontario |
235000 |
|
Nova Scotia |
12900 |
|
New Brunswick |
9400* |
|
Prince Edward Island |
3300* |
* Estimated based on media reports
Just under 385,000 study permit applications have been
distributed to the six provinces mentioned above. This means that, for the
provinces of Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec, and Newfoundland and Labrador that
have not yet reported, there may still be 221,000 study permit allocations
available below the 606,000 cap.
The original national cap of 606,000 study permit applications for 2024 has not
yet been confirmed by the IRCC, nor has it indicated which allocations will be
made in any other way.
Students enrolled in college partnership programs will no longer be eligible
for post-graduation work permits earlier.
The federal government declared in January 2024 that foreign
students enrolled in programs offered through a public-college private
partnership (PCPP) would no longer be eligible for a Post-Graduation Work
Permit (PGWP). This was one of the major changes. This modification will now
take effect on September 1, 2024, instead of the previously announced date of
September 1, 2024.
"International students who begin this type of program on May 15, 2024, or
later will not be eligible for a post-graduation work permit when they
graduate," the Canadian Immigration and Citizenship Commission (IRCC)
cautions. The IRCC has prevented PCPP-modeled universities from holding one
more recruiting cycle prior to the termination of their students' PGWP
eligibility by pushing forward the date.
The IRCC does point out that certain graduates of schools using the PCPP model may be eligible to apply for an alternative type of work permit: "In Canada, graduates may be eligible to apply for a work permit supported by an employer's approved labour market impact assessment, for example, in occupations where there is a labour shortage." The Department "will continue to work with provinces and territories to proactively identify program that have been affected by the clarification and will update this list as we receive additional information from them," according to the IRCC declaration.
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