The College of the Rockies will feel the impact of the federal government’s cap on international applications on its student body.
President Paug Vogt said the changes will likely be felt the most in the first year.
“We expect a bit of a dip in the number of students to admit for the fall,” said Vogt.”We hope that once the system is up and running that we’ll be able to get back u to our normal numbers, which is around 100 students every year being admitted to our programs.”
The changes mean international students will need more documents to study in Canada.
“Every student who applies from overseas will need to have a provincial letter of attestation,” said Vogt. “That adds another element of applying for a student visa, which is also needed to come here.”
Vogt said the College of the Rockies has a diverse student population.
“We get students from about 30 to 40 different countries at any one time, right now we have a little under 300 students in total from all around the world,” said Vogt. “They’re a big part of the richness and diversity of our campuses. They’re also a very big part of being able to provide skilled workers for the region because a number of those students will stay and work in the East Kootenay.”
Vogt said the changes will likely be positive in the long term.
“We’re making a lot of changes to our framework for international education to make sure we’re student-centred and that the students coming here are a good fit for the needs of the region,” said Vogt.