Feds announce two-year cap on international student admissions

Immigration Minister Marc Miller is announcing a two-year cap on international student admissions.

The minister hopes the cap will give the federal and provincial government time to curb a system that he says is taking advantage of high international student tuition while providing, in some cases, a poor education.

The cap will mean a 35 per cent overall reduction in new study visas this year though some provinces, including Ontario, will see a reduction of 50 per cent or more.

Miller says the government will also bar students in schools that follow a private public model from accessing postgraduate work permits as of Sept. 1.

And in a few weeks, open work permits will only be available for the spouses of students enrolled in masters and doctoral programs, as well as professional programs such as medicine and law.

Millers says the federal government will work with provinces, who up to this point have not moved to fix the problem as quickly as he would have liked.

The move comes as the federal cabinet is in the midst of a three-day retreat in Montreal preparing for the upcoming sitting of Parliament.