Georgian College faces job cuts, dwindling enrolment amid international student cap

Growing deficits, layoffs and far fewer enrolment numbers are forcing colleges and universities across the province to make tough decisions in the wake of Ottawa's cap on international students.

The federal government first announced a temporary cap on international students in January to reduce levels by 35 per cent. In September, a further reduction of 10 per cent was announced for next year, with that reduction to stabilize in 2026.

"We've noticed about a 30 per cent decline in enrolment already for this fall," said Kevin Weaver, Georgian College president and CEO. "There's been a series of other announcements, including an announcement related to post-graduate work permits in September."

Ottawa announced new restrictions on work permits eligibility, restricting the number of programs that can gain access to post-graduate work.

Georgian College said under the new criteria, it expects a further drop of about 2,500 full-time international students.

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Financial Impacts

The impact has been significant, with the college projecting a $45 million dollar deficit for the 2025-2026 year.

Over 100 full-time positions have been impacted, including the layoffs of 23 employees, to reflect the shortfall.

The situation is similar at other institutions in Ontario.

At Fanshawe College in London, the union representing workers at the school said it's been advised to expect a 47 per cent reduction in international student enrollment for the winter term.

Sheridan College in the GTA has also announced it’s suspending 40 programs and reducing staff, citing a drop in enrolment.

Program Viability

"We have not cancelled any programs to date, but we have looked at some intakes that based on the drop in enrolment, just weren't viable," Weaver said. "We anticipate making further tough calls as we look ahead next fall."

International students previously represented 50 per cent of the total student population at the college.

That split is now 60 per cent domestic and 40 per cent international.

A large contingent of those students were enrolled in tourism and hospitality programming at the college, putting it under the microscope.

Weaver said many of its programs in those sectors are heavily reliant on international students, meaning that it's likely some may be cut in the future.

"What worries me the most is really the impact to the labour market," he added. "We deliver $1.7 billion of economic impact, which includes our alumni. We are the feeder to the labour market in central Ontario and if we lose international students in some of these key program areas and we can't run those programs, there are no graduates to support the labour market."

Lakehead University

Lakehead University has seen a drop of 15 per cent in international student enrolment across both it's campuses in Orillia and Thunder Bay.

However, it's seen a slight uptick in international graduate students by roughly two per cent and a five per cent increase in domestic student enrolment overall.

"We've actually been really fortunate and we've worked really hard internally to arrive at a place where we were able to approve a balanced budget this year," said Linda Rodenberg, principal of the Orillia campus.

The post-secondary has not made cuts to programs or layoffs at this time. However, Rodenberg said the institution is far from being in the clear.

Rodenberg confirmed that Canada's reputation abroad has taken a huge hit, making it more challenging for recruiters to bring students in.

"It's getting harder and harder to predict the future," she added. "We have the allocations that we need now to support our international students and we certainly hope that we will continue to have access to those allocations."