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Ontario, Canada's most populous province and home to half of the country's foreign students, will require all colleges and universities to provide housing for incoming cohorts.
The move followed a cap on international student visas introduced earlier this week by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government, aimed at dampening public anger over a surge in temporary migrants that was driving up rents and property prices.
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The province's new measures also include a review of programs offered by institutions with “significant numbers” of foreign students to ensure they meet the needs of the labor market, a statement from the Ministry of Colleges and Universities said Ontario's from Friday.
“The challenges posed by the recent surge in student arrivals to Canada, including predatory practices by bad actor recruiters, misinformation about citizenship and permanent residency, false promises of guaranteed employment and inadequate student housing, require immediate attention and collective action ,” said Jill Dunlop, Minister for Colleges and Universities.
The province will also ban new partnerships between public and private universities, which have been seen as a key factor in the tripling of foreign student numbers over the last decade. Many of these students use their education to obtain postgraduate work permits and ultimately permanent residency.
Federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller said provinces should take stronger measures to curb the exploitation of foreign students. Provinces are primarily responsible for funding post-secondary schools and classifying them as designated institutions of learning.
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The government of British Columbia, another popular destination for foreign students, is expected to announce its measures next week.
Universities and colleges are increasingly relying on international students, who pay an average of five times as much in tuition as Canadians, to supplement government funding. Ontario has also frozen tuition fees that can be charged to Canadians in recent years.
Bloomberg.com
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