Saskatchewan used to be an educational destination for international students. But the two universities of the province are seeing a significant fall in these registrations, enough to begin to have a financial impact.
According to the winter count of the University of Regina, the University had 4,457 international students, which obtained a little less than a third of the university’s total student population. International students at the University of Saskatchewan, on the other hand, represented 14 percent of the total student population in 2023-24.
Both universities have reported a drop in inscriptions this winter intake.
The U of R says that the number of newly admitted international students “has decreased significantly” in more than 50 percent this winter period compared to January 2024.
“This reduction means that the number of incoming international students is not kept at the pace of the number of continuous students who will soon finish their programs,” said the U of R spokesman in a statement sent by email.
U of R rejected an interview to talk about the impact of the decrease.
14 percent fewer international students went to the U of R in three fiscal years ago due to travel restrictions related to pandemic, according to the Annual University Report.
The report says that the fall in foreign students and a lower decrease in the registration of national students of four percent “” “affected the income generation capacity of the institution that year.
U -S officials say that they have not yet ended their counting, but preliminary numbers suggest a 20 percent decrease. Jerome Cranston, vice president of students and learning in U of S, says that the loss is more than only financial.
“What international students really bring to the University of Saskatchewan, contribute potentially to the province if they decide to stay. That is something that we are definitely feeling a loss,” he said.
Financial coup for loss of registration
Canada data statistics For Saskatchewan it shows that in the current academic year, international university students paid an average of $ 31,540 on registration, while national students paid $ 9,609.
International undergraduate students at Saskatchewan universities have also seen a 53 percent jump in the cost of their registration in the last five years. That increase was 16 percent for Canadian undergraduate students, According to the statistics agency.
Cranston says that the U of S is not immune to the financial coup, but that they have not completely based on international students to balance their budgets.
“We are taking a look at our expenses … we, unlike other institutions after high school, are not contemplating dismissals, we are not contemplating not to fill positions.”
Cranston says they are also seeing that some of that lost money comes with an increase in the enrollment of national students.
However, Saskatchewan universities, according to Statcan measures, would have to register more than three national students for each international student who lose to obtain the same financial results.
The province is responsible for the finance of post -secondary institutions. Advanced Education Minister Ken Cheveldayoff, in an response sent by email, said they encourage institutions to think “strategic and innovative about how to attract international students.”
“The recruitment of international students continues to be a priority for Saskatchewan and we are working closely with our postsecundarias institutions to promote Saskatchewan internationally as a preferred destination to study, work and live,” said Cheveldayoff in an answer sent by email.
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The Federal Government, during the last year, implemented a series of policies aimed at reducing the general numbers of temporary residents.
These measures included duplicating the amount that students must have at the bank before moving to Canada at $ 20,000, issuing work visas to public universities graduates only if they have studied in fields related to occupations with labor shortage and implementing a Student limit.
Federal policies deter students
Immigration, refugees and citizenship of Canada (IRCC) initially assigned 12,000 points to Saskatchewan as part of its federal limit. That number was stretched at 15,054 after taking into account the historical acceptance rate of the province.
The Prime Minister of Advanced Education Gordon Wyant, while talking about the increase in April, appreciated the IRCC for increasing the assignment of Saskatchewan, since international students “play a key role in the maintenance of economic growth and are a critical component for help meet our labor market. “
Despite the increase in the available places of Saskatchewan, Cranston says that students are no longer requesting. He says that the Federal Government’s series has been harmful to how future international students consider Canada as an education way.
“I think that the fact that fewer international students are requesting is the fact that Canada’s reputation damage has received a blow to the world stage,” he said.
Cranston says that a specific nuanced approach of the province would have been better for Saskatchewan.
“I think they adopted a very forceful approach to apply the same policy throughout the country without observing the differences that Saskatchewan has in terms of population, housing, affordability,” he said.
IRCC, in a response sent by email, said the annual growth in the number of international students could not be sustained while guaranteeing that students receive the support they need.
Hard life in Canada
Rudraksh Mehta, a university student at the U of R of India, says he has been advising his friends against continuing education due to the growing cost of living.
“That had a great detour to them in terms of coming to Canada, leaving life behind which we lived in India, which was not so difficult and not only in terms of being difficult, but it was much better than whatever Let us have right now, “he said.
Sabrina URMI, an international Bangladesh student, is registered in a two -year business administration diploma program at the U of R. She says she has not been receiving any work.
“I’m here in Canada and I’m not winning a single penny, it’s really a bit shameful for me.”
Looking at work opportunities, URMI says that he is either hope to get a job even after he graduated due to mismatch in the labor market.
IRCC numbers say that business related programs represented 27 percent of all approved study permits from 2018 to 2023, more than any other field.
During that same period of time, only six percent of all permits were for foreign students for health sciences, medicine or biomedical science programs, while shopping and vocational training programs represented 1.25 percent.
The industries with the highest work vacancies and the largest absolute number of labor vacancies have generally been consistent since 2018, both before and after the COVID-19 Pandemia began: construction, medical care and accommodation and food services, according to Canada data statistics.
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“One of my cousins is planning to go abroad for a master’s degree, but surely has one thing in mind, which will no longer choose Canada due to the population and less opportunities,” Nain Jani, another international student at the U of R, said .
“They are constantly changing government policies and everything a student cannot trust.”
Het Bhavsar says that the anti-indio online comment is beginning to translate to real consequences on the ground.
“People are being so racist today. When I’m on a bus that is going to [my] Job, random people would yell at me that ‘getting out of our country, this is our country, is invading us’.
