International students running out of study options amid college shutdown

The Collège supérieur de Montréal will challenge the province’s decision in court on July 24

International students scramble to find a new school after Quebec colleges shut down

Silia Imehraz moved to Quebec from Algeria in 2023 to pursue medical secretarial studies at the Collège supérieur de Montréal.

“I chose Quebec for its quality of education,” Imehraz said.

Three years later, Imehraz was one exam away from graduating when she was told that her college was forced to shut down.

“I don’t even have the words to express it ... I feel very lost, I don’t even know what to do,” Imehraz said while taking part in a protest against the college’s shutdown on Viger Avenue.

The college’s sign has already been taken down from the building’s entrance.

Imehraz is one of over 900 international students stuck in limbo after the province terminated the permits of Collège supérieur de Montréal (CSM) and Collège supérieur de Sherbrooke in the Eastern Townships.

They are among four private, subsidized colleges that have shuttered in recent weeks including the Collège Herzing and the Collège de technologie Veritas in Montreal. After pouring in thousands of dollars in tuition fees and years of study, these students’ futures in Quebec are at risk.

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In a statement to CBC, Quebec's Education Ministry says it notified the colleges in the spring of the non-renewal of their operating licences and that any courses offered as of July 1 would not be recognized. Students say they were completely blindsided.

The province instructed students to enroll in another institution to complete their degrees, providing a list of public colleges to call.

CSM student Babacar Mar said he’s gone down the list and has only encountered dead ends.

“There are many schools on vacation, others that offer courses in English though we have been studying in French… it’s complicated,” Mar said. “Some of our comrades have made requests for admission but, let me tell you, many have been refused.”

In a letter to students this week, the CSM said it will challenge the province’s decision in front of Quebec’s administrative tribunal on Friday.

International students are up against a fast-approaching deadline to find another program before their study permit expires.

“The simple fact of stopping the studies might go against the students,” immigration lawyer Yves Martineau said.

Martineau says transferring credits and even getting admitted are not a given when switching from one institution to another, and there's limited enrollment capacity just weeks away from the fall semester.

Since Jan. 1, the Quebec government now requires international students to have $24,617 in the bank — an increase of almost $10,000 from 2025. Meanwhile, they are also not permitted to work without being enrolled full-time.

“I would be in despair,” Martineau said, putting himself in students' shoes.

Ansoumane Camara works as a delivery driver on the side to be able to afford his studies.

“If they close the school, it’s like all our efforts have gone down the drain,” Camara, a CSM student, said.

Immigration lawyer Isabelle Dongier says she was not completely surprised to hear of CSM’s closure. She says she has heard of cases at her legal practice where the immigration department questioned the validity of certain internships carried out by CSM students for credit.

“They relied on the Quebec government who gave a permit to those schools and who accredited the diplomas and the programs, and now they've been told to just find a way, to find another school,” Dongier said.

A Radio-Canada investigation in 2023 also found cases of fake internships taken by CSM students at a fictitious hospital to complete program requirements.

Dongier says some students might have just months to get enrolled at another institution — a timeline she believes is too tight. She says the government should grant students a transitional period and allow them to work in the meantime.

“It's too long to wait for someone to have completed a program and have already worked for a year or two and then to tell them: ‘Well we believe that your degree is not worth a penny,’” Dongier said.

“That's not what common sense and humanity values are telling us."

Response from the Immigration Ministry

In a letter to Immigration Minister François Bonnardel, Québec solidaire MNA Guillaume Cliche-Rivard called for extra measures to support affected students.

“Those students did nothing wrong,” Cliche-Rivard said. “And now, they’re left with nothing, so they should not pay for the college’s mistake.”

Cliche-Rivard said he wrote to the immigration minister seeking help for students at imminent risk of losing their status in Quebec. He says he has not received a response.

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In a statement to CBC, the Immigration Ministry says students must still submit a new application for their studies and that their current study permit expiration remains. Given the students' particular situation, the ministry said it now allows these students to resume studies once their application is submitted, rather than approved.

"I think it's nice, but I don't think that it will make such a big difference because students will save only one month or so to be able to study with another institution," Martineau said.

The ministry says the closure of these institutions will not have an impact on future applications, including potential applications for permanent immigration. Quebec has also informed the federal government of the situation as it is responsible for issuing study permits.

Julia Israel is a reporter and video journalist with CBC Montreal. You can reach her at julia.israel@cbc.ca