Photo courtesy of the Canada International Student MagazineThe Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology (MITT) has become the first public college in Canada to close as a result of the federal government's crackdown on international student visas. The closure was announced on Jan. 28 by Neil Cooke, MITT's President and CEO, who said international student enrollment had plummeted by more than 55%, making the school's financial model "unsustainable." The crisis traces back to January 2024, when the federal government, then under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, imposed a hard cap on international student study permits for the first time. Canada, once ranked the world's number-one destination for international students, has fallen to number four in recent surveys, according to Canada.ca. She defended the crackdown, saying some international students had not been attending classes at all and were merely using study permits as an immigration pathway.

Source: CBC News February 24, 2026 14:05 UTC