The Effects of Quebec and Canadian Immigration Policies on International Student Recruitment in CEGEPs
Abstract
International student mobility faces increasing constraints due to more restrictive immigration policies. This article investigates the impact of recent federal and provincial reforms on the recruitment strategies of international students in Quebec’s colleges (CEGEP). Based on a descriptive and chronological analysis of 38 policy documents and an omnibus permutation test calculated from survey responses of 37 CEGEPs in 2019 and 2024, the findings reveal a growing complexity in administrative responsibilities, a significant increase in the number of international students, and a diversification of their countries of origin. The article shows that, despite the tightening of immigration policies, CEGEPs are adapting their strategies and retaining agency in international recruitment.
Published
2026-05-25
Keywords
International students, CEGEP, Immigration, Immigration policies, Quebec
Issue
Section
Special issue: From recruitment to restrictions: A new policy era for international students in Canadian higher education
DOI
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Olivier Bégin-Caouette, Olivier Francis Hazoume, Marianne Paquette, Nicole Lacasse
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyright in the article is vested with the Author under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
