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British Columbia, the third-most populous province in Canada, will freeze approvals of new colleges and universities seeking to enrol foreign students, the latest effort by a government to curb explosive growth of temporary immigrants in the country.<\/p>\n
The province\u2019s pause on new schools looking to register foreigners will be in effect until February 2026, said Selina Robinson, the postsecondary education minister. The province will also set higher standards for degree quality and labour market needs, as well as new language requirements for private institutions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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The move follows a cap on international study permits imposed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau\u2019s government last week, which was aimed at quelling public anger over a surge in temporary migrants that has pushed up rents and housing prices. The government of Ontario, the country\u2019s most popular destination for foreign students, will also require institutions to guarantee housing is available for incoming cohorts.<\/p>\n
Federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller said Monday that he was encouraged by the work underway in British Columbia. The announcement of a cap last week was meant to ensure the integrity of the system, but \u201cunfinished business\u201d remains to address abuse, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomething stinks in this and it should be brought to the light of day,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
While the visa cap wasn\u2019t \u201cfundamentally a housing announcement,\u201d Miller said, reducing demand will have an impact on shelter costs that will \u201cnot be insignificant in certain markets.\u201d<\/p>\n
His government also introduced a measure to boost supply on Monday, with Housing Minister Sean Fraser announcing that colleges, universities and developers will be eligible to apply for the apartment construction loan program to build student residences on or off-campus. The program provides low-cost financing for rental unit construction.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cIt\u2019s not just going to create more affordable places for students to live near where they\u2019re going to school. It\u2019s also going to relieve pressure on the housing market,\u201d Fraser said. \u201cThis has the potential to reduce the cost of housing for everyone in college and university towns right across the country.\u201d<\/p>\n Recommended from Editorial<\/p>\n