British Columbia announced Monday that it is halting approval for colleges to apply for approval to enroll international students until February 2026 in an effort to rid the province of exploitative educational practices.

Selina Robinson, the Minister of Post-secondary Education, added that this new move served as a warning to institutions that take advantage of international students due to a lack of language skills, resources and economic stability.

This announcement comes at a time when the government announced a nationwide cap on international students. The British Columbia Federation of Students released a statement following the initial announcement praising the decision, as the exploitation of international students had been a prime concern of the alliance for years. Still, it expressed concerns regarding continued funding for post-secondary education. The current federal cap will reduce the number of study permits by 35 percent.

Other policies under the new measures include introducing higher language requirements for private institutions and tuition transparency, among others.

Ontario also introduced new measures earlier in the week to combat the issue of the international student cap. In a statement on X (formerly known as Twitter), Jill Dunlop, the Minister of Colleges and Universities, echoed Selina Robinson by stating these measures were there to curb the manipulations of bad faith actors taking advantage of international students. In Ontario, requirements are being placed to ensure that universities can provide housing for their international students.

Canada’s Immigration Minister Marc Miller said that the two-year federal cap on international students was not only to combat bad actors but also to lessen international students’ impact on housing availability.