Fanshawe reflects national surge in international students as feds ponder visa cap

As the federal government ponders a cap on the number of international students coming to Canada, the head of Fanshawe College International is calling for a balanced approach. 

"There's always a context that's important around numbers," said Wendy Curtis, dean of Fanshawe College International, where recruitment and enrollment of international students has grown steadily in recent years.

"International students bring a significant amount of talent to the community," she said.

Numbers released this week show a national trend that's well reflected at Fanshawe: A surge in the number of international students coming to Canadian college campuses in recent years. 

The federal government has said Canada is on pace to host about 900,000 international students this year, far more than ever before. 

Student visa numbers shared by economist Mike Moffatt this week show that most of those international students are coming to study at colleges — not universities. 

The table below, which ranks Ontario post-secondary institutions by the number of approved international student visas, shows Fanshawe in fifth place with just under 9,000 student visas approved. That's far fewer than Centennial College in Toronto (21,034) and Conestoga College in Kitchener (11,926).

A.J. Wray of Western University's department of Geography and Environment singled out Conestoga College on social media for bringing in "an entire Stratford's worth of people in just over a year" on study visas. 

"I can assure you that was not accounted for in any official plan or population growth projection," he posted on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. 

Numbers in Fanshawe's 2022-23 annual report show domestic student enrolment dipping slightly over the last five years while the number of international students moves sharply upward.

The enrolment numbers on a national scale have sparked discussion about whether admitting so many overseas students is adding to Ontario's tight housing market. It's also raised concerns that students — in particular those from diverse backgrounds — might be unfairly blamed for a housing crisis that's been building for years.

International students boost college revenue

Curtis conceded that international students — who pay about four times more in tuition that Canadian students — are essential to Fanshawe's bottom line. 

The college's latest annual report declares a surplus of $43.8 million for the fiscal year ended in March. That's up from $17.8 million the previous year with revenue increasing by $64.7 million.The report said the revenue rise "was primarily driven by the planned increase in international enrolments due to recovery from the global pandemic."

Curtis said it's important to point out that those students bring diversity to the city and create important international connections in an increasingly global world.

"By promoting the college around the world, we promote the city and Canada as well," she said.

Curtis admits any move by Ottawa to ratchet down the number of international students would hurt Fanshwe's bottom line.

"If [the federal government] is going to limit numbers, certainly that would have an impact," she said. 

Pressure on housing

Moffatt said as enrolment grows, colleges need to pay close attention to housing availability in near-campus neighbourhoods. 

"In the east end of the city we are seeing investors buy up single-family homes and turn them into student rentals," he said. "Even in neighbourhoods where we hadn't seen that before, like Fairmont and the Hamilton Road area, which traditionally didn't have many students." 

Moffatt said the key is to manage the growth.

"Fanshawe is probably doing more than most Ontario colleges when dealing with these housing issues, but we do need a plan on how we're going to house everyone," he said.

Kayur Chusan came to Fanshawe from India to study cyber security. He doesn't want to see any changes that would stop other students from having the same learning opportunities he's had. 

"They might miss a good career opportunity to make their future bright," he said. 

Tola Olanrewaju just finished her first year studying health care administration at Fanshawe. 

She said the college did a good job of preparing her with information about the cost and availability of accommodation in London. 

She also said student rents help stimulate the local economy. 

"I'm sure it's having an effect, increasing numbers of people who come into the stores," she said.