Ontario made an announcement today, saying they’ll give priority to certain college and university programs. These programs will focus on jobs that are needed in the province.
Why? Well, the federal government has decided to put a cap on the number of international students coming to Canada for the next two years. So, Ontario wants to make sure the students they do accept are more likely to find work here.
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What’s Changing?
Most international students (about 96%) will be accepted into publicly funded colleges and universities.
The remaining 4% will go to private universities, language schools, and other similar places. Career colleges won’t get any international students.
Institutions will receive applications based on the following criteria:
- They will prioritize programs in fields where there’s a high demand for workers. These include skilled trades, healthcare support, science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), hospitality, and child care.
- An institution can’t accept more students than it was allowed to in 2023.
- As a final safety rule, the number of international permits can’t be more than 55% of the institution’s first-year domestic students in 2023, except for jobs that are in high demand.
The government also wants to encourage French-language education because many companies need French-speaking workers.
Ontario will help colleges and universities adjust their programs to match what the job market needs. They’ll work closely with these schools.
Ontario Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL)
If you want to study in Ontario as an international student, you need to include a special letter from the province called the Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) when you apply for your study permit.
This letter proves to the government that they’ve agreed to let you study in Ontario within their maximum allotments.
If you’ve been accepted to a postsecondary school college or university and plan to enroll, you should contact their admissions office to ask for an attestation letter.
In January 2024, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada announced changes to the International Student Program for 2024 and 2025.
One change is that they decided to put a cap on the number of study permits they’ll give out to international students, except for students doing master’s or doctoral degrees or those in kindergarten to grade 12.
Most universities and colleges will keep their application levels the same as in 2023, except for Algoma University, which will see a decrease.
Out of 24 colleges, 11 will still be accepting applications as they did in 2023.
Conestoga College and some other colleges that work with private partners will see the biggest decreases.
Starting from May 15, 2024, international students who go to publicly funded colleges through private partners won’t be able to apply for a work visa after they graduate, as part of the changes the government announced in January 2024.
New Measures for Supporting International Students in Ontario
The Ontario government wants to make sure that international students studying in Ontario have a good experience. Here’s what they’re doing:
- They’re making sure that all publicly funded schools and colleges have accommodation options that are suitable for international students.
- They’re giving more than $32 million in the 2023–24 school year to support the mental health of all students. This money will go directly to schools through different grants.
- They’re proposing a new law called the Strengthening Accountability and Student Supports Act of 2024. If this law passes, it will make things better for students by improving mental health support, making campuses safer and more inclusive, and making fees clearer for everyone, including international students.
