British Columbia to Implement New Limits on International Student Enrollment

07-29-2024
British Columbia’s Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills has introduced new measures to improve the integrity of the province’s international student program. These measures include the Education Quality Assurance (EQA) code of practice, which limits international student enrollment to 30% of total enrollment at public designated learning institutions (DLIs). Private DLIs are not affected by this cap.

A Ministry representative noted that many of the province’s 25 public post-secondary institutions already fall below this 30% threshold. The Ministry will work with institutions to adjust recruitment strategies and manage financial impacts, using international education strategic plans to meet the new guidelines.

For 2024, British Columbia has been allocated 83,000 Provincial Attestation Letters (PALs), necessary for obtaining study permits. These allocations are based on population, with 53% of PALs going to public institutions and 47% to private institutions in B.C.