The Quebec government plans to table a bill in the fall that would allow it to limit the number of international students coming to the province to study.
The legislation would be aimed at private colleges that charge high tuition to international students seeking permanent residency, said Francois Legault in a press conference. The premier feels the provincial government needs more power to ensure certain schools don’t abuse their position.
Should the national assembly pass such legislation, the bill will also affect Montreal’s English universities, which are already scrambling to compensate for the out-of-province and international tuition hikes proposed by the CAQ last fall.
McGill claims that international students make up roughly 30 per cent of its student body, among the highest proportion in Canada. Concordia’s international students account for just under a quarter of its population.
However, the premier claims that the legislation would not target the two institutions.
“When I talked about institutions abusing [their power], I’m not thinking about McGill or Concordia,” Legault said.
Concordia University president and vice-chancellor Graham Carr said the bill was news to him and that the university has already seen a drop in applications and enrolment for the coming academic year due to tuition hikes. He told CTV News in January that the overall decline was roughly 20 per cent.
McGill responded with a statement and indicated its hope that “institutions which have consistently engaged in ethical and sustainable recruitment practices will not be the focus of the proposed legislation.”
The statement also pointed out that international students contribute heavily to Montreal’s social and economic development.
The Legault government will release more details in the coming weeks.