McGill, Concordia in the dark over Quebec plan to cut international students

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Still reeling from last year’s revamp of Quebec university funding, McGill and Concordia say they don’t know yet whether they’ll be affected by a new plan to limit the number of international students allowed to study in Montreal.

Premier François Legault announced Tuesday that his government will introduce legislation in the fall to cut down on students from other countries. He said details would be released later.

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Concordia University said it was not warned about the coming changes.

“We heard the announcement but have no further details than what was said at the press conference,” said spokesperson Vannina Maestracci. “Concordia was not directly consulted on the possibility of tabling a bill.”

She said Concordia “has already experienced a decline of international student registrations in the last few years and expects a more important drop this fall.”

As of this week, undergraduate registrations at Concordia for international students are down 10 per cent compared to the same time last year, Maestracci said.

In a statement to The Gazette, McGill said it trusts that “institutions which have consistently engaged in ethical and sustainable recruitment practices will not be the focus of the proposed legislation.”

The university said international students provide “tremendous value, thanks to their contributions to research and Quebec’s economic and social development. We remain firmly committed to attracting, supporting and retaining the best and brightest talent.”

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McGill said it’s “confident the Quebec government will recognize the crucial importance of these contributions, as well as the complexity of the processes involved in attracting, selecting and hosting international students.”

It says it wants to be consulted on those issues by Higher Education Minister Pascale Déry.

A well-placed source said the CAQ government advised the Bureau de coopération interuniversitaire about its plan before announcing it. The BCI is an organization of 20 Quebec universities.

Officials at the BCI did not respond to a Gazette request for comment on Tuesday.

Quebec plans to cut the number of international students in Quebec as part of a plan to reduce the number of non-permanent residents, who it says are contributing to Quebec’s housing crisis, straining public services and hastening the decline of the French language.

In his remarks on Tuesday, Legault referred to private colleges “abusing the system.” Such colleges charge high tuition fees to foreign students hoping to attain permanent residency.

In response to a reporter’s question, Legault would not say whether McGill and Concordia, which welcome the bulk of international students in Quebec, would be affected.

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Last fall, the CAQ government announced a plan to reduce the number of non-French-speaking students from other provinces who attend Concordia and McGill.

The two universities have warned the changes could lead to tens of millions of dollars in cuts.

Quebec imposed a 33-per cent-tuition hike on out-of-province students who study at McGill and Concordia, making the universities less competitive.

McGill has said the new rate is about double what it costs to study in arts and science programs at the University of Toronto and the University of British Columbia.

In addition, changes to international student funding rules will result in a loss of $5,000 per foreign student for Concordia and McGill.

As of fall 2025, McGill and Concordia will also be required to have 80 per cent of their undergraduate students from outside Quebec reach an intermediate level of French by graduation. The institutions will face financial penalties if they fail to meet the target.

The changes are part of the CAQ government’s effort to increase funding for French universities and reduce the number of non-French speakers in Montreal post-secondary institutions.

His government has complained too much English is being spoken on Montreal streets, with non-French-speaking students partly to blame.

ariga@postmedia.com

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