Manitoba post-secondary schools say they're losing students, money due to international student cap

Manitoba's universities and colleges say Ottawa's decision to limit the number of new international students being welcomed into the country is already costing them hundreds of students and millions of dollars.

The University of Manitoba, the province's largest post-secondary institution, is expecting around 500 fewer first-year international students this semester, which will mean $7 million to $8 million in lost tuition and fees, president Michael Benarroch told Global News this week.

Meanwhile, the University of Winnipeg is estimating approximately 122 fewer first-year students from abroad, an 18 per cent drop compared to fall 2013. 

The university's early estimate pegs the financial loss at $4 million this fiscal year, which will reduce overall tuition revenue by five per cent.

Although total enrolment isn't finalized yet, the universities say the signs of slumping international enrolment are a direct result of the federal government choosing to limit the number of international student permits for the next two years.

The federal government imposed the restrictions earlier this year to try to stop small private colleges from taking advantage of international arrivals and to bring relief to the country's crowded housing market. 

The University of Winnipeg says the impact will be noticed beyond first-year classes.

The university estimates its professional, applied and continuing education programs, as well as its English language programs, will face a 30 to 35 per cent drop in international enrolment, or around 106 students, year-over-year.

"These decreases represent a significant impact on the university," Caleb Zimmerman, a spokesperson for the university, said in an email. 

In total, the U of M had almost 7,000 international students and the U of W more than 1,600 international students last year.

The U of M declined requests for comment from CBC News.

A number of other Manitoba post-secondary institutions also said they're noticing fewer international students on campus, though they said it was too early to attach a financial cost to the decline.

Red River College Polytechnic is counting almost 1,100 new students from abroad this year, an eight per cent drop compared to last year.

However, the college is projecting an overall two per cent increase in enrolment, due to a spike in domestic registrations.