A 65 per cent cut to international student targets, announced in Tuesday’s federal budget, could impact class sizes, program availability and graduation timelines for post-secondary students across B.C., said experts.

With many colleges and universities already struggling to manage the fallout from previous cuts, the new targets threaten to further destabilize B.C.’s higher education system.

“It caught us all really off guard,” said Jennifer Figner, provost and vice-president at the B.C. Institute of Technology.

The federal plan reduces the number of new international study permits from the 2025 target of 437,000 — which was already a reduction from earlier targets — to 155,000 in 2026.

The cuts will impact more than students hoping to study in Canada, as many post-secondary schools ha

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