International student enrolment plunges

New international student enrolment at Assiniboine College is projected to fall by as much as 70 per cent this fall, a sharp decline administrators say is tied to federal policy changes introduced over the past 18 months.

And while no international student numbers were available Tuesday for Brandon University, a student rep says the number attending orientation events is steadily falling.

Assiniboine College was anticipating and budgeting for declining international student enrolment, the college’s vice-president for enrolment, Danielle Adriaansen, told the Sun on Tuesday.

“The 70 per cent decrease from what we saw last fall on new international students equates to roughly 425 (students) last fall to around 125 this year and counting,” Adriaansen said. “We expect additional new international students will join in October and November, as a few more programs begin.”

She said the drop is not only a financial issue but also impacts program offerings and campus diversity.

“International students are a big part of the academic and social fabric across our programs, and fostering global citizenship among all our graduates is an example of one important benefit to welcoming international students to study with us,” she said.

“Too, international graduates, many of whom want to stay and work in Manitoba, are critical to helping us support labour market needs of employers, and so a decline in this area of enrolment will have an impact on being able to graduate skilled individuals ready to take on roles in sectors such as health care and agriculture.”

Adriaansen attributed the decline to longer study permit application processing times, coupled with higher refusal rates.

“This means we will have fewer international students entering programs this year,” she said. “Historically, strong international enrolment has allowed us to expand offerings of certain programs and create new spaces for domestic students — such opportunities may no longer be possible if international enrolment stays low or continues to decline.”

Despite this, the college reports that domestic enrolment is on the rise, with new Canadian students up by as much as 10 per cent compared to last year.

“Enrolment is up by 100 compared to this same time last year for the first week in September. These numbers will continue to fluctuate a little day by day until the end of the add/drop period.”

While enrolment shifts were anticipated and factored into the college’s planning, international students like Jobanprit Kaur from India told the Sun that the challenges extend well beyond the classroom.

“It is very challenging for me to find accommodation because I am the only one here,” she said. “I also need to find a job, but it is very difficult. Without a job, it’s like nothing.”

Jude Eigbobogh, a student from Nigeria, agreed with Kaur, noting that while he found housing, “it has not been easy … Sometimes people don’t reply, and it’s very stressful.”

At Brandon University, enrolment figures tell a slightly different story.

While final numbers remain in flux, about 850 new students are registered this fall, representing an eight per cent increase over last year at this time.

University spokesperson Grant Hamilton could not respond Tuesday to the Sun’s inquiries, as officials were busy with orientation. But international student numbers at BU, too, appear to be dwindling.

There is a steady decline in the number of international students attending orientation events, the university’s international student representative, Tosin Salau, told the Sun on Tuesday.

“I’m in my third year, so I’ve seen a few groups of new students come in,” he said. “Since last year, each orientation has been smaller. At this fall’s orientation, I saw only about five to 10 international students. The numbers just keep going down, and if the trend continues, I worry that soon there might only be one or two international students showing up at orientation.”

For those who do arrive, housing remains a major challenge.

Students struggle to secure a place to live, Sheriffudeen Sadip, an Nigerian student in computer science, told the Sun.

“It’s difficult finding accommodation,” he said. “I’ve been here a year, and I still don’t have a place sorted.”

Others, like Jobe McAuley, a physical education student from New Zealand, say cultural differences and Manitoba’s harsh winters loom large.

“I heard it gets pretty cold,” he said with a laugh. “I’ll have to figure that one out with lots of jerseys.”

Salau said the student union is working on solutions, including outreach to rental housing companies to reserve units for international students.

“Some come without having accommodation sorted and end up paying for hotels or Airbnbs, which is very expensive,” he said. “We’re trying to create partnerships so that at least a few apartments are available when students arrive.”

Still, for many international students, the immediate future is less about policy and more about everyday survival — finding housing, securing part-time work and adjusting to life far from home.

As Kaur put it: “If we are facing any trouble, there should be someone we can talk to. Because we don’t have anyone here who can relate to us.”

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