Reform, overcorrection, and the cost of losing faith in Canada’s international education system
Mark Carney’s visit to India comes at a time when Canada’s international education story is no longer shining the way it once did. For years, the Canadian study-visa ecosystem was a quiet success story – one that created jobs, built regional economies, and gave public colleges the confidence to expand beyond major cities.
It wasn’t just about international students; it was about Canadian citizens working as faculty, administrators, housing providers, transport operators, and small business owners. In many ways, international education functioned like gold mining for Canada – steady, sustainable, and deeply integrated into the economy.
I’ve spent years working inside Canada’s international education ecosystem, and I’ve seen both its strengths and its failures up close. So when I look at where the student-visa system stands today, my question isn’t whether change was needed – it absolutely was. The real question is whether the Canadian government is ready to bring balance back into this ecosystem, or whether it is willing to let long-term damage become permanent.
Let me be clear: some decisions were right. Shutting down questionable PPPs was necessary. Many of them had turned into visa mills – poor teaching standards, weak infrastructure, and no real academic intent. Allowing colleges to operate out of a single floor, with minimal faculty and almost no student support was a serious policy mistake. Issuing visas to such setups diluted Canada’s global reputation and hurt genuine students. Cleaning this up was overdue and the government deserve credit for finally acting.
The real question is whether the Canadian government is ready to bring balance back into this ecosystem, or whether it is willing to let long-term damage become permanent
But reform crossed into overcorrection.
Public colleges – institutions that followed regulations, invested heavily in infrastructure, hired qualified staff, and supported regional economies – were punished alongside bad actors. Caps were imposed abruptly. Approvals slowed overnight. Campuses that took years to build were forced to shut down within months. Public colleges are now struggling just to sustain themselves. That is not acceptable. These institutions are anchors for communities. When they suffer, Canadian citizens lose jobs, towns lose stability, and confidence disappears quietly.
One of the biggest blunders in this entire reset was the decision to scrap the student direct stream (SDS). SDS was not perfect, but it was disciplined, transparent, and financially responsible. Students under SDS were paying over CAD $20,000 in tuition upfront and showing another CAD $20,000 in living funds. That meant financially prepared students, lower default risk, faster processing, and billions of dollars flowing cleanly into the Canadian economy. At a time when Canada spoke about inflation, growth, and sustainability, SDS was doing exactly that – fuelling the economy responsibly.
Scrapping SDS without a credible alternative was a massive setback.
What replaced it? Uncertainty, Confusion and delays. A lack of clarity that has made even genuine students nervous. This was a visa system that many European countries quietly studied and tried to replicate because it worked. Today, that same system has been dismantled so abruptly that it has made a mockery of Canada’s own credibility. Students and families now ask a simple question: If Canada itself doesn’t trust its own system, why should we?
From the ground, this feels less like reform and more like policy panic. Regulation without transition. Control without communication. And worst of all, silence once the damage became visible. There has been little acknowledgment of how deeply public colleges have been affected. No clear roadmap for recovery. No assurance that compliant institutions will be protected. That silence creates fear – fear of closures, forced mergers, and the quiet acceptance of job losses as collateral damage.
This issue is not about agents, visas, or numbers. It’s about trust. Students don’t argue with policy – they simply choose alternatives. I’ve watched families pivot quietly to the UK, Australia, Germany, and emerging European destinations. Once those pathways are established, they don’t disappear overnight. Confidence, once broken, is extremely hard to rebuild. Raising academic standards was necessary. But crippling public colleges and scrapping a globally respected visa pathway without a replacement is not reform – it’s self-inflicted harm.
What the ecosystem needs now is balance. Protect quality without destroying capacity. Regulate without destabilising communities. Admit what worked – like SDS –admit what didn’t, and rebuild with clarity and honesty. Because policies can be rewritten and numbers can be adjusted, but once trust and institutions collapse, rebuilding them costs far more than fixing them in time.
About the author: Jasmeet Singh Bhatia is the managing director of Landmark Global Learning Limited, with over 18 years of experience in international education and consulting. A trusted study visa expert and PR strategist, he has mentored thousands of students in achieving their academic and career goals abroad. Known for his principle- based approach and strong industry partnerships, he continues to shape global futures through personalised guidance and strategic insight.
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