OCUFA BRIEFING NOTE - Federal Cap on International Students: Implications for Ontario’s Universities

OCUFA BRIEFING NOTE Federal Cap on International Students: Implications for Ontario’s Universities January 23, 2024 The Announcement • The federal government announced changes to the International Students Program for the next two years. [...] The Problem • The proposed cap on international student visas does not address the root causes of the perils of Ontario’s postsecondary sector, namely, chronic underfunding and growing privatization. [...] • The proposed cap risks scapegoating international students as the cause of the housing shortage in Canada. [...] Table 37-10-0045-01: Canadian and international tuition fees by level of study (current dollars) Page 2 of 3 have the lowest number of faculty per student, with 32.4 university students per faculty member in 2021 compared to the rest-of-Canada average of 22.5 per faculty member. [...] Although acknowledging the presence of “bad actors” in the sector, Ontario Minister of Colleges and Universities Jill Dunlop has yet to fully address the details of the announcement.