The federal government’s cap on international student visas is translating into staff cuts at at least two Lower Mainland post-secondary schools.
Ottawa implemented the cap in 2024, citing pressure on housing, health-care and other services.
Kwantlen Polytechnic University is expecting about 2,360 international students this fall, down almost 60 per cent from last year.
Foreign students typically pay four to five times more than Canadian students to study at B.C. post-secondary institutions.
Schools are now feeling the bite.
In a notice to faculty, Kwantlen said it was expecting a $5-million to $10-million drop in revenue for its 2025-26 budget.
The school said that funding gap will translate into the loss of about 40 to 45 full-time positions.
“We anticipate that between early retirements and departments and the dry-up of contract work, this might represent 10-20 per cent of the entire faculty workforce,” said Mark Diotte, president of the Kwantlen Faculty Association.
Diotte said the cuts would have been higher, but they were able to save some jobs through layoff mitigation measures like early retirement and job sharing.
Langara College, meanwhile, said it expects to see 2,400 fewer students than two years ago — enough to shrink its overall student body by 20 per cent.
“As a result of 2,400 less students, we need less courses. There’s less demand for some of the courses that we were offering in the past,” Langara president Dr. Paula Burns said.
“It does means that we’re looking at a reduced revenue, particularly when the decrease is coming from the international student population. As a result of that, we also have to look at expenses across all of our areas and all of employee groups.”
Burns said Langara is dealing with a $13-million deficit this year, but will be required to deliver a balanced budget next year.
The school has already notified 69 staff members that they will see their classes cut next year, and Burns said it was too early to say how many people may ultimately be let go.
Diotte said educators are frustrated that the provincial government has not stepped in with new funding to bridge the gap left by international student tuition.
“We have Ontario’s government that stepped up and offered $1.3 billion in stabilization funding; the B.C. NDP has $4 billion in contingency funding, but it has been silence,” he said.
“What we’ve really been seeing is the federal government pointing fingers towards the provincial government and the provincial government pointing fingers at the federal government, when what we need to see is all levels of government getting together with faculty and unions and administration and finding a sustainable pathway forward.”
Global News is seeking comment from the provincial government.