Post-secondary institutions across Canada are feeling the effects of the reduction in the permit cap for international students imposed by the federal government.

This includes Camosun College in Saanich, British Columbia, which has 400 fewer international students than originally budgeted before government intervention.

The college now faces a $5 million deficit for the 2025-2026 school year.

Lynelle Yutani, president of the Camosun College Faculty Association, said the union had been informed layoffs were coming but was still waiting for details.

“I think it’s time for our province to advocate for transitional support funding,” Yutani said.

In a statement to CTV News, Camosun College confirmed it had been “forced to make the difficult decision to eliminate vacant positions” and would impose layoffs “across all employee groups” to fill its deficit.

The college also said it was disappointed with the lack of consultation from the federal government on the permit cap.

For its part, CCFA said it also had not been consulted by the college about the upcoming cuts and wanted to ensure job losses stayed outside of the classroom.

“Administrative salaries and administrative expenses have increased at the college faster than in any other field,” Yutani said.

Outside of the classroom, many college workers fall under the CUPE banner.

In a statement to CTV News, CUPE Local 2081 said the current funding structure “has forced colleges and universities to rely excessively on tuition fees from international students to support their core operations” and that “shift from an emergency budget to an emergency budget is not sustainable.”

Tony Elder, associate vice-president for academic resource planning at the University of Victoria, said the school has also had to make “difficult financial decisions”, suffering two budget cuts in the past three years, as well as job losses.

The University of Victoria’s international student population has fallen by almost 1,000 compared to a decade ago, resulting in a significant financial shock. While a Canadian student spends around $6,000 per year on tuition, international students pay around $30,000 per year.

“For a four-year undergraduate program, this represents a significant investment,” Eder said.

Vancouver Island University told CTV News it has seen a 16 percent reduction in international student enrollment in 2023 and that this change aligns with broader trends affecting post-secondary institutions in across Canada. This reduction caused VIU to re-evaluate its budgets and operational plans.

As fewer international students come to the country, more postsecondary institutions will have to make difficult decisions to cover future budget shortfalls, which could include more job losses.