B.C.’s major universities and colleges are facing staff cuts and tighter budgets as international student enrolment falls under federal study permit caps.

Kwantlen Polytechnic University, the University of Victoria, the University of B.C., Simon Fraser University and Langara College have reported international enrolment declines of as much as 60 per cent, leading some schools to lay off dozens of full-time staff.

The downturn stems partly from Ottawa’s decision to cap international study permits. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has said it will issue 437,000 permits to foreign students in 2025, down from 650,000 in 2023.

Brent Calvert, president of the Federation of Post-Secondary Educators of B.C., calls the decline a “wake-up call” for the sector.

Calvert says the trend

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