The number of foreign student registrations falling in Quebec universities

Fewer foreign students chose Quebec this fall, lament several universities, who fear that a trend is taking hold. They criticize, among other things, the Legault government, whose measures cause “anxiety” among new arrivals on campus.

At the University of Quebec at Rimouski (UQAR), the number of foreign students has increased significantly in recent years. Between 2020 and 2024, it jumped from 482 to 1,158, an increase of more than 140%.

However, the increase is no longer as sustained, worries the rector of the establishment, François Deschênes, who notes a slowdown this fall.

On admission applications, we are already seeing a marked drophe said. We went from 3,392 in 2023 to 966 this yeardated October 31.

New registrations, which correspond to the number of foreign students who begin their course atUQARalso fell by 24% in one year.

Mr. Deschênes sees this, in part, as the result of measures adopted by the university.

We put in place a set of measures to be able to identify as precisely as possible the students who were really interested in coming to theUQARregister and continue your studieshe specifies.

Fraudulent cases and tightening

Cases of abuse have been reported so far, notably by the federal government, which suspects that immigration consultants suggest foreign students make false declarations. As a result, the number of them claiming refugee status once in Canada is peaking.

According to federal data, more than 3,000 foreign students requested asylum in Quebec this year, including 210 atUQARmaking it one of the establishments with the most in the country.

To counter this phenomenon, the establishment ensures, for example, that it has increased its academic requirements and those concerning mastery of the French language for admission to certain programs, but it has also given itself tools to better identify the fraudulent case.

It is certain that the measures have something to do with itnotes the rector, François Deschênes.

However, he mentions another hypothesis to explain the observed decrease in registrations.

According to him, the Legault government’s announcements, such as the freeze on permanent immigration and Bill 74 to limit the number of foreign students admitted to Quebec, have had their effect.

It is evident all over the world that, at the moment, there is going to be a tightening, we are going to plateau. So, it creates uncertainty among people who want to come and study. For these people, it can influence the decision.

This observation is shared by other establishments, which are also observing a drop in the number of new registrations of foreign students.

At Laval University, for example, the drop is 21%.

The numerous government announcements in recent months on immigration […] sows concern within our student community.

We can expect that Quebec universities will be perceived as less attractive in the countries where we recruitwrites Professor Christine Hudon, vice-rector for studies and international relations at the University of Sherbrooke, where new registrations have decreased by nearly 13%.

It must be said, however, that the number of international students was higher than usual in 2023-2024, in particular because the Quebec government had then announced a program allowing international students from several programs to pay the same fees. schooling than Quebecersshe continues. We then had a record number of applications for admission.

We are concerned that this trend will continueresponds the spokesperson for the University of Montreal, Geneviève O’Meara, who notes a decrease of 11% this fall.

The situation has led the rectors of these universities, who came to testify at the National Assembly at the beginning of the month, to say that Bill 74 from the Minister of Immigration, Jean-François Roberge, should not apply to their establishments.

We ask you to stop associating international students with a problemlaunched the rector of the University of Sherbrooke, Pierre Cossette.

The legislative text would allow Quebec to impose ceilings on the maximum number of foreign students who can be admitted to each educational establishment.

We hope not to end up with a reduction which could be amplified by the addition of ceilingssummarizes François Deschênes.

Most students are confused

Among the newcomers who attend the campus ofUQAR in Rimouski, a form of concern seems to have already taken hold.

The moratorium imposed until June 30, 2025 in the Quebec Experience Program (PEQ), graduate component, prevents those who will complete their studies by then from submitting an application for permanent residence.

Meanwhile, what do we do?asks Rachid Lanignan, master’s student in project management. It creates anxiety, it creates discontent.

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This bad experience could well discourage others from following in his footsteps.

We encourage people to come and study and ultimately, we say that we don’t need them in the end.he adds. I can tell you that most students are confused.

The native of Benin, who will graduate in December, has been living in Bas-Saint-Laurent for three years. He would like to stay there and even have his daughter, who will soon be 8 years old, come and join him.

For the moment, my project is in the waterhe laments. I’m waiting.

Foreigners studying atUQARmany of whom are from West Africa, are nearly 95% French-speaking.

I see them quite a lot in my businesssays Jean-Baptiste Gouamené, owner of Marché du monde, himself originally from Ivory Coast. Everyone I meet now, this is the subject we discuss: what will their future be like?

Arriving in Quebec in 2002 to study, he was eventually granted refugee status due to the ongoing civil war in his native country. So at one time he was also an asylum seeker.

The situation, he says, made him forced to create the conditions to remain in Quebec. The exotic grocery store he set up near downtown Rimouski in 2007 today offers products from around forty countries, reflecting the immigrant population whose ranks have swelled.

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There is definitely a lot of instability, he says, I think many are starting to worry.

at theUQARthe survival of certain programs could be threatened in the event of a significant reduction in international staff. For example, foreign students account for more than 80% of the contingent at the Rimouski Institute of Marine Sciences (ISMER).

These are people who have bet everything on Quebec. We had the choice to go to France, we had the choice to go and study in the United States, we had the choice to go and study, I don’t know, in Mexico, almost everywhere, but we chose Canada because it is a French-speaking country.

Many, like Rachid Lanignan, want to stay, but today have the impression of being rejected.