More layoffs hit Sask Polytechnic as international student enrolment drops
School says revenue down since Ottawa tightened immigration policies
Saskatchewan Polytechnic is cutting jobs for the second time this year to deal with declining tuition revenue as fewer international students come to the province for higher education.
The school attributes the big drop in international enrolment to changes in Ottawa's immigration policies, including the cap on student visas. International students pay more than domestic students for the same courses.
Sask Polytech recently sent layoff notices to 14 out-of-scope employees and will not fill eight vacant positions. The school also axed 27 jobs in April.
"A significant decline in international student enrolment has created a substantial revenue shortfall for the 2025-26 academic year," said a Sask Polytech statement sent to CBC News. "More difficult decisions will be necessary in the months ahead."
The school is facing a budget shortfall of up to $15 million, according to the Saskatchewan Polytechnic Faculty Association (SPFA).
"We are deeply concerned about the impact this will have on the quality of education, student support, and long-term program viability across the province," SPFA president Michelle Downton said in a statement.
"For years, Saskatchewan Polytechnic has relied on international tuition revenue to bridge the gap left by stagnant or insufficient provincial funding. That model has now become unsustainable."
As in April, the school did not specify what positions, departments or programs are affected by this round of layoffs. Sask Polytech has around 2,000 full-time equivalent employees across all departments and labour groups, according to its 2023-24 annual report.
The Saskatchewan Polytechnic Students' Association said students are concerned, but understand the financial pressures on the school.
"We believe that the institution is really trying its best to combat the situation and … that their focus is students first," association president Rosby James said.
In the 2023-24 academic year, 4,327 international students were enrolled in Sask Polytech programs across its four campuses, according to the school's most recent annual report. Five years ago, that number was 1,701.
But international student enrolment has been down across Saskatchewan since the federal government announced a cap on student visas in 2024.
The University of Regina said earlier this year that the number of newly admitted international students declined more than 50 per cent this past winter term compared to January 2024.
The University of Saskatchewan also said earlier this year that preliminary numbers suggested a 20 per cent decrease in new international students.
Political reaction
On Thursday, Saskatchewan's Opposition NDP said the province is under-funding Sask Polytech and post-secondary education in general.
"The Sask Party should have never starved our post-secondary schools of funding, made them so dependent on international student fees," NDP critic for advanced education Tajinder Grewal said.
"Tuition fees for international students is 3.5 to 4.5 times higher than domestic students. They used to provide a very critical revenue for this post-secondary institution."
In a statement, the provincial government singled out the federal student visa cap for declining enrolment.
"The Government of Saskatchewan has been and continues to advocate for our post-secondary institutions to the federal government on this issue," the province's statement said. The statement did not specify what the province is advocating for at the federal level.
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With files from Darla Ponace