Nearly 900 international students were thrown into uncertainty after the Quebec government refused to renew the operating permits of Collège supérieur de Montréal and Collège supérieur de Sherbrooke.
Many students had left their families, paid tens of thousands of dollars in tuition, and worked in low-wage jobs to support themselves. Some were only weeks away from graduating when their studies were abruptly suspended, threatening their academic progress, employment, and immigration status.
Following student protests and a legal challenge by the colleges, the Administrative Tribunal of Quebec suspended the government’s decision. On July 28, the tribunal allowed both colleges to resume all teaching activities, enabling students to return for the next academic session. CBC News
This is an important victory for the students, whose mobilization helped make their crisis impossible to ignore. But it does not erase the harm already caused.
The Ministry of Education has still not publicly explained the specific reasons for refusing to renew the colleges’ permits. It acted without first establishing a clear plan to protect the 878 affected students, leaving them to face interrupted studies, expiring immigration documents and the possible loss of their right to work.
The government said it would waive tuition fees for students transferring to designated institutions. Yet many students faced unavailable programs, difficulties transferring credits, and lengthy immigration procedures. Since changing institutions can require a new study permit—and, for some students, a new Quebec Acceptance Certificate—the government’s decision placed their legal status directly at risk.
This crisis exposes a system that welcomes international students for the high tuition fees they pay and the low-paid labour they provide, but abandons them when institutions or government policies fail.
International students are not cash machines for private colleges or disposable numbers in immigration targets. They are students, workers, and members of our communities.
The tribunal’s decision provides immediate relief, but Quebec must still disclose why the permits were refused and guarantee that no student loses money, academic credits, employment, or immigration status. Students did not create this crisis, and they must not be forced to pay for it.
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