More than a week after the federal government’s decision to cut the number of student permits it issues, college and university officials on P.E.I. say they have a lot of questions — but not many answers.
“What do we do now?” said Sandy MacDonald, president of Holland College. “We’ve already accepted students for next year. How will they be affected?”
MacDonald said many of the international students who make up about 30 per cent of the college’s population are disappointed by the new federal policy.
“I think there are some students who feel like they’re being blamed,” he said, adding that some students are wondering: “Is Canada the place I want to come and study in the future?”
In its announcement last week, the federal government said it will approve about 360,000 undergraduate student permits for 2024 — a 35 per cent cut from last year.
