With Canada recording a 60% fall in new international student arrivals and a significant drop in total study permit holders, a continuation of the pattern since the implementation of permit caps in 2024, conversations around the “bad actors” who led the country to this point are regaining momentum.
“If I’m being very frank, I think there should have been a greater recognition of bad actors in the system. That’s something we wish would have been recognised but it wasn’t,” Van Acker told The PIE News, on the sidelines of a visit to India earlier this month as part of a delegation of 21 Canadian institutions led by Universities Canada, discussing partnerships with Indian universities, government, and industry leaders.
“One of the reasons Universities Canada was here was to speak to universities in Canada on how we approach international education, as opposed to higher education in Canada, because there is a distinction.”
While some public post-secondary institutions have been forced to shut programs amid policy pressures, University of Guelph says international students make up around 5% of its population, indicating caps are “less material” to its operations.
However, its assistant VP, international, Ben Bradshaw, said housing pressures in Guelph were driven by aggressive recruitment by a “bad actor” in the area, leaving international students facing challenges. Several policy makers have cited international students’ role in the country’s housing crisis when imposing restrictions, despite research showing otherwise.
“One of the key actors was in our catchment area, and so we faced this incredible challenge. Some of the pressures on universities and colleges around international student recruitment centred on housing, and the cost of housing in the city of Guelph is much higher than it should be,” stated Bradshaw.
“There was a certain irony that our students, including international students, were facing challenges in the housing market because of the less responsible behaviour of other actors.”
Previous reports indicate the university struggled to accommodate demand, with over 7,000 students accepting offers in 2024 and more than 1,350 placed on a housing waiting list, prompting frustration among some students.
While Guelph is now expanding its housing capacity — including a planned 1,250-bed residence and a further 2,500 beds in development — Van Acker said the move is aimed at supporting both international and domestic students, adding that the projects are being fully self-financed amid a lack of government support.
“I wish the government would help fund that, but neither the provincial nor federal government is providing support, so we are financing it completely ourselves. We are doing this because housing is a top priority for us,” stated the president.
In light of such changes, the University of Guelph sees opportunity to grow its undergraduate population, especially from India, where the president has outlined aspirations to increase numbers from 500 to 1,500.
“What we want to see is working closely with high schools in India, making sure that we also provide additional value to the high schools. That can be workshops, masterclasses, whatever it might be that we can offer, so that it’s not only the traditional way of recruiting,” stated Jimmi Hemmenbach, regional operations manager, Middle East and South Asia, University of Guelph.
But like other Canadian universities navigating an uncertain recruitment environment, Guelph is also looking to strengthen academic ties in India through research, student exchanges, and exploring what a Canadian branch campus could look like, as Anglosphere counterparts move to establish degree-offering institutions there.
“Of course, there’s a lot of discussion about transnational enterprises and branch campuses. We wanted to be here to be part of that conversation, and to hear firsthand from institutions that are doing that and those considering it,” stated Van Acker.
“We also wanted to gain insight from institutions in India in terms of what that means for them, what their perspective is, and what we’re hearing from the Indian government in that respect.”
The idea was also discussed at The PIE Live India 2026 by Chris Busch, AVP of enrolment and senior international officer at the University of Windsor, who said Canada aims to deepen India’s “strong connections” in technology, ICT, and the knowledge economy through on-the-ground presence, establishing programs, two-plus-two models, and potential branch campuses.
We have to help our students see that if they want success in the world – in marketing, artificial intelligence, or even psychotherapy – they need to know about India and its transformation
Ben Bradshaw, University of Guelph
With Canada and India now seeking a diplomatic reset after ties deteriorated over the killing of a Canadian Sikh activist – which led to mutual diplomatic expulsions and temporary visa suspensions – the university delegation’s visit aimed to help lay the groundwork for deeper bilateral trade and education ties, just weeks ahead of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to India.
While Guelph is set to advance research partnerships with the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), leveraging its expertise in agricultural and biomedical sciences, it also aims to deepen “truly bilateral” exchanges with institutions such as O.P. Jindal Global University and Bennett University, amid debate over imbalanced student mobility partnerships.
“Canadian kids are really keen to get to Europe, Australia, and New Zealand to avoid the Canadian winter, with 55-56 students going there every year. We have just one in India with Jindal, and while a couple of O.P. Jindal students have come to us, not many have gone there yet – we want to build that up,” stated Bradshaw.
“What we heard, and I totally understand, is that we have to help our students see that if they want success in the world – in marketing, artificial intelligence, or even psychotherapy – they need to know about India and its transformation. You could go to the UK and have a nice time, or come to Mumbai and see where the growth is really happening in the world.”
How Canadian universities will navigate long-term financial and academic challenges remains to be seen, but initiatives like the CAD$1.7bn investment to attract international researchers could be a game changer for countries like India.
For now, Canadian universities share a collective goal to expand their presence in India, while also pursuing their individual roles, according to Van Acker.
“We do have a collective voice on our desire to see predictability, and we also have a voice in our collective desire to support bilateral mobility, especially in relation to research. Those are key, and then as individual organisations, we have our own roles as well,” stated the president.
“It also convinces me that we will be in India more, including myself, because what we’ve seen and heard very clearly on this visit is that India and the Indian government are recognising an inflection point in terms of a transition and acceleration of its economy.”
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