Conestoga College

[Bytor]

The cut turns out to be a bit more than my projection: over 50% rather than 35%.
https://www.therecord.com/news/waterloo-...29ec2.html

“Our allocation was set at less than 50 per cent of our current international enrolment. With this news, we will assess the enrolment and operational impacts and communicate more as details become available,” the college said in a statement.

The school said that despite the cut, it will continue with planned capital investments, including $110 million in Guelph, $70 million in Kitchener and $41 million in Waterloo.

Conestoga led the country in 2023 with more than 30,000 study permit approvals, federal data shows. With a cap set below 50 per cent of its 2023 numbers, it means Conestoga will be limited to fewer than 15,000 new international students in 2024.

How does this work, exactly?

Do international students have to apply for a visa every year, so this 50% will affect current enrollment and mean half of them will have to leave the country?

Or does it only affect new, incoming enrollment so will take several years for any change to be seen?

[tomh009]

The cut turns out to be a bit more than my projection: over 50% rather than 35%.
https://www.therecord.com/news/waterloo-...29ec2.html

How does this work, exactly?

Do international students have to apply for a visa every year, so this 50% will affect current enrollment and mean half of them will have to leave the country?

Or does it only affect new, incoming enrollment so will take several years for any change to be seen?

Reduction on new incoming students. Programs are maybe two years on average, so it might be a 25% reduction in the international student population this fall, and then a further 33% reduction next year, for a total of 50% or so.

[ac3r]

I just noticed a Conestoga College sign by the Toyota dealership on King East (specifically youro address 3065 King). Does anyone know what this is? It's on Google Maps but the pin only shows a parking lot. Are they occupying one of the buildings here or?

[KevinL]

The building in the far corner of the Heffner property, by both Hwy 8 and the railway, is a single-story office building. I've seen Conestoga signs on it recently; presumably it's an overflow admin setup of some kind.

[Acitta]

The building in the far corner of the Heffner property, by both Hwy 8 and the railway, is a single-story office building. I've seen Conestoga signs on it recently; presumably it's an overflow admin setup of some kind.

I found this page from ABA Architects who designed the interior.

[ac3r]

Foreign students keep coming to Conestoga College despite big visa rollback: https://www.therecord.com/news/waterloo-...6a096.html

4000 is still a crazy high number. How do 4000 people even manage to find a place to live or a job to work since they always end up needing to work, especially with tens of thousands of other students already here? We need an immediate stop to this open doors policy as soon as possible, but I fear the damage has already been done anyway.

[tomh009]

A lot of other students are done, and are either moving elsewhere to work, or else returning home. At 4000 new students, the total number of students will drop significantly from what it was year ago.

[cherrypark]

Putting aside where the graduating/leaving students are going, I recall it was around 20,000 international students last year, so 4000 would be -80%? That is a significant drop, even if 4000 is still a large number.

[panamaniac]

Putting aside where the graduating/leaving students are going, I recall it was around 20,000 international students last year, so 4000 would be -80%? That is a significant drop, even if 4000 is still a large number.

I could be wrong, but I think you're comparing total number of international students to annual intake there.  Or did they really accept 20,000 new students just last year?

[neonjoe]

Putting aside where the graduating/leaving students are going, I recall it was around 20,000 international students last year, so 4000 would be -80%? That is a significant drop, even if 4000 is still a large number.

I could be wrong, but I think you're comparing total number of international students to annual intake there.  Or did they really accept 20,000 new students just last year?

Last year, the federal government approved 14,158 new permits between January and May for international students to attend the Kitchener-based community college. This year, the government approved 4,048 new permits over the same months, a reduction of 71 per cent, data provided to The Record shows.

[panamaniac]

So about 10,000 fewer newcomers than last year. That should have a significant impact. I guess K-W will no longer be the world's fastest growing city ...