It's not yet clear how international student cap will affect N.L., and it's sparking anxiety on campus
Student union says cap isn't the answer
Memorial University's student union says Ottawa's decision to cut back on the number of students coming to Canada has prompted widespread concerns about potential tuition hikes to offset the lost income.
Last week, the federal government said it will restrict the number of international students entering the country over the next two years, issuing about 360,000 study permits — a 35 per cent reduction from 2023 — in an attempt to mitigate demand on the country's rental stock.
That cap will be spread among the provinces and weighted by population, with provinces that have seen a boom in foreign students taking the biggest hit.
Jawad Chowdhury, the MUN Students' Union's director of campaigns, says a cap isn't the answer to Canada's housing crisis.
"Students, particularly international students, contribute a lot to our economy here in Newfoundland and Labrador. They also contribute a lot to the cultural balance," Chowdhury said.
Students in Newfoundland and Labrador have suffered a low housing stock for the last three semesters and Ottawa needs to step forward with solutions, he says. But that commitment, he adds, should come in the form of funding for dedicated student residences.
"We really need to focus on investing in housing," he said. "Folks would love to study at Memorial. The quality of education here is top notch, and so for folks that want to come here, they should be allowed the chance to come here."
Just over a quarter of MUN's student population is made up of international students, totalling about 5,100 people. About 10 per cent of the College of the North Atlantic's population, 671 people, come from abroad.
Chowdhury says the university is already seeing a decline in applications due to recent tuition hikes, which has made finding housing even more difficult for the students already here, he said. In the long term, he hopes the school will invest in more campus housing. In the meantime, he added, any form of rent control or affordability measures could help.
Chowdhury says paltry housing options close to campus, combined with the news out of Ottawa, has prompted dismay among the international students he's spoken to. In particular, the move to end work permits for the spouses of undergraduate and college students will severely affect the quality of life for people moving to Canada for an education, he says.
"They cannot bring their partners or loved ones anymore to Canada, and that has an impact on how easy their life is in Canada," he said.
"Moving away from your own country — everyone tries to look for community. Everyone likes to have the presence of someone that they can talk to, so restricting that could measure how difficult international student life is in Canada."
Tuition hike a widespread worry
Vicky Quao, a Grenfell Campus student and the vice-president of Grenfell Campus's student union, says last week's news left her shocked.
"I'm still trying to make sense of it," Quao said.
Chief among her concerns is the possibility of a tuition hike to make up for the lost funds from international student fees.
"There is that ripple effect. If tuition goes up, students are going to have to find ways to get by," she said, suggesting any increases may cause incoming students to seek an education elsewhere and force existing students to live in poverty and prioritize work over their studies.
"I came here with the knowledge that Canada was affordable," she said. "Not so much anymore."
Immigration Minister Gerry Byrne declined an interview but said in a Facebook post on Sunday that Ottawa's decision "has caused considerable concern."
"I have been seized with trying to make sure that any changes Ottawa makes to this program are not punitive to Newfoundland and Labrador or to our economy," Byrne wrote, adding that he'll say more on the issue this week.
Canada hosted more than 800,000 international students last year, according to the government's figures, a number that has more than tripled in the last decade. The federal government estimates international students contributed $21.6 billion to Canada's GDP in 2018.
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With files from Heather Gillis and CBC Newfoundland Morning
