Christian schools cut international students – Winnipeg Free Press

Two Christian schools in Manitoba say they are deeply affected by the recent decision to cap the number of international undergraduate students in Canada.

Providence University College, with campuses in Otterburn and Winnipeg, and Booth University College in Winnipeg have both had their allocations to international students drastically cut by the provincial government.

In the 2023-24 academic year, Providence, which has 461 international students in undergraduate programs at both locations, can only issue letters of invitation, known as provincial letters of recommendation, to 37 students for the 2024-25 academic year.

With 98 international students, Booth can only issue 14 letters.

International students who receive a letter of approval can apply to the federal government for a study permit.

The Department of Advanced Studies has designated the area to be divided into colleges.

The federal government has approved 18,652 places for international students who want to attend post-secondary schools in Manitoba. Only 292,000 study permits will be issued in the country, which is 28 percent less than the current academic year.

Ottawa has reduced the number of people allowed to study here to address the country's housing shortage.

This limit does not apply to international graduate students.

“We appreciate that this was the outcome of the federal decision, and we're grateful that the Manitoba government has offered us what they can,” said Providence President Kenton Anderson. “However, this decision means that we will no longer be able to serve international undergraduate students in the city of Winnipeg.”

Providence had planned to increase the number of international students to about 1,000 students living downtown. That plan “is no longer viable,” Anderson said, adding that the downgrade “creates a huge financial hole for us.”

“We appreciate that this is the result of a federal decision, and we're grateful that the Manitoba government has given us what they think is right. But this decision means we can no longer serve international undergraduate students in Winnipeg.”– Providence President Kenton Anderson

To address the financial impact, the school is transitioning to offering graduate-level programs for international students. “We hope to be able to thrive in this new regulatory environment by making the necessary adjustments,” Anderson said.

He noted that housing was not an issue, as Providence had purchased the former Booth campus at the corner of Webb Place and Balmoral Street for its international student program with the idea of ​​housing dormitory rooms at the facility. “We have been active in this area,” he said.

Because only half of the international students invited to study in Canada are able to come, many due to difficulties in obtaining visas, the lack of available places for Providence could result in only about 20 students attending the school, he said.

The restriction on international students also affects Americans, Anderson noted, something that hurts Providence because it sees North Dakota and Minnesota as top recruiting spots. “It's not possible for us anymore,” he said.

Booth president Rob Fringer said the cuts were “shocking” and “horrifying.”

In a letter to Advanced Education Minister Renee Cable, Fringer noted that the 14 places allocated to Booth are a 94 percent decrease from last year. The cut, he said, “is a devastating blow and will cripple us — or worse.”

Fringer said he expected a cut given the overall decline in study permits authorized by the federal government. “But I didn't expect it to be such a big cut,” he said.

Because Booth is the only Salvation Army post-secondary institution in the world, “it would be a huge loss” for the church if the school had to cut programs or even close, he said.

In a statement, the minister said the province's main goal was to “keep public institutions close to international student enrollment numbers by 2023.”

Cable noted that Manitoba was initially offered 15,232 letters of invitation, and he was able to lobby to increase that to 18,652 letters.

He said Manitoba has “followed the federal lead to prioritize private institutions that train people to meet labor market needs, such as pilots, early childhood educators and health aides. We used the same allocation approach equally and universally across all institutions. We want international students to know they are valued and welcome at our public universities and colleges.”

The decline in the number of international students allowed to come to Manitoba will not greatly affect Mennonite University of Canada because it does not have many students from other countries.

“CMU does not consider international students to be a major part of its revenue streams,” said President Cheryl Pauls, noting that the school will be allowed to issue 44 letters of invitation next academic year, up from about 75 in previous years.

The cut will not have a major impact on Steinbach Bible College, which is allowed to send 15 invitation letters to international students. This year, the school had nine international students.

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John Longhurst
Faith correspondent

John Longhurst has been writing for the Winnipeg Faith Pages since 2003. He also writes for Religion News Service in the US and blogs about media, marketing and communications at Making the News.

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