(file photo/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Angela Brown

College anticipates growth

North West College says international student cap shouldn’t be an issue in Saskatchewan

Feb 2, 2024 | 8:12 AM

While the federal government announced a temporary cap for permits for international students in Canada, North West College said it’s not expected to be an issue in Saskatchewan.

The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) said in a recent release that the federal government will set a temporary intake cap on international student permit applications “to stabilize new growth” for two years, starting Sept. 2024.

The IRCC will allocate a portion of the cap to each province. The government noted more students have been arriving in Canada “without the proper supports they need to succeed.” It added the rapid increases in the number of international students arriving in Canada also adds to pressure on the availability of housing, healthcare and other services.

Saskatchewan Colleges responded to the IRCC international student policy changes in a release, saying that these changes will see a national reduction in the overall number of international students in the country and changes to the length of post-graduate work permit periods that students receive upon graduation.

Saskatchewan Colleges, an international recruitment and admissions partnership between Great Plains, North West College and Suncrest College, appreciated seeing that the IRCC policy changes were not blanketed nationally, and “Saskatchewan is one of a few provinces positioned to see a provincial allocation of international students that allows for reasonable increases from 2022 levels.” The provincial government will be responsible for distributing Saskatchewan’s allocation among post-secondary institutes within the province.

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Eli Ahlquist, North West College President and CEO, doesn’t expect Saskatchewan institutions, including North West College, will be affected by Canada’s international student caps.

“Of the impacts, we don’t anticipate they’ll be blanketed across the entire country to the same extent,” he told battlefordsNOW. “In Saskatchewan, we’re definitely anticipating that there’ll be room for growth in terms of international students as we go forward. Ultimately responsibility for the distribution of these students is going to now rest with the province to determine how this fits with institutions. So despite this being a significant change, we are optimistic that we will see growth, and we will see some positive pieces for all of our post-secondary landscape.”

Ahlquist added that North West College is relatively new to the international student market. The college currently has over 80 international students at its campuses in North Battleford and Meadow Lake.

“We had our first intake last year, and we’ve got another cohort this year at the college, which is a really great opportunity for us, as well as for our domestic students,” he said.

Ahlquist noted while a housing shortage may be an issue in some parts of Canada, it is not a concern in Saskatchewan.

“Certainly in Saskatchewan, we know that vacancy rates are certainly not an issue for our province, and as well in our region the North-West vacancy rates are certainly acceptable,” he said. “Our students are able to find appropriate housing. We’re quite confident that we’re providing a very good experience for the students, and that’s reflected in our optimism for growth in terms of international student enrolments going forward.”

Ahlquist added that more international students help fill a need in Saskatchewan, especially in the rural areas.

“International students bring a rich diversity of perspective, experience that students wouldn’t otherwise have exposure to, so there’s definitely an exchange both ways in terms of the benefit,” he said. “In terms of increasing the availability of programming and access to learning, that’s a critical piece for us, especially in rural environments where there isn’t always the workforce to meet the job demands. It’s a critical piece we’re able to educate individuals, and ensure our programs are full and viable through the complements of the international students.”

Ahlquist commented that with additional international students, North West College can offer more programs more often for its students.

“For us, bringing in these [international] students, they help us provide greater access to programming,” he said, noting that if a program doesn’t see a sufficient number of interested students in the region sign up, then it might only be offered every other year.

“By adding international students to those groups with our domestic applicants, that allows us to open up greater capacity for students that are in the region,” Ahlquist said.

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angela.brown@pattisonmedia.com

On X: @battlefordsNOW