LETHBRIDGE, ALTA. –
Lethbridge post-secondary schools are trying to navigate recent changes to the cap on international students, announced by the federal government in January.
Approximately 360,000 international students will be permitted into Canada for 2024, down about 35 per cent from the year before.
Schools are still trying to figure out just how much the change will impact them.
“It’s frustrating that here we are, nine months after IRC started the clampdown. They’re still implementing new rules, that are making it very difficult,” said Brad Donaldson, Lethbridge Polytechnic president and CEO.
In 2023, the University of Lethbridge had nearly 1,200 international students while international students made up around 20 per cent of Lethbridge Polytechnic’s student body.
The number of international students will be down slightly for both schools this year.
The University of Lethbridge Students Union (ULSU) says it hasn’t noticed a significant decline in international applications yet. But there’s a belief …