The landscape of international education in Canada is undergoing a profound shift, mainly driven by evolving immigration policies and changing public sentiment. The new federal immigration minister has emphasized the need to satisfy Canadians with a sustainable system, underscoring the importance of demonstrating the tangible value international learners bring to our communities and economy.
In this context, continuing education units must take a more proactive role in shaping public understanding. We need to educate Canadians not only about the high-quality, career-focused education we provide but also about our international students’ aspirations, contributions and potential. These learners are not just students; they are future colleagues, innovators and community builders. We need to do a better job of helping Canadians understand how international students benefit the economy of their regions and improve the education we can offer to domestic students.
In many ways, continuing education units are being asked to respond to a complex question with a simplistic answer. The reality is that the international learners we serve who augment their international postsecondary education and experience with short Canadian university credentials fill an urgent and critical gap in Canada’s labor market. Yes, there are Canadians out of work. Still, there are also many roles where the time it would take to identify and upskill an underemployed Canadian creates significant productivity challenges that hurt our economy. In some cases, supporting an internationally educated professional to Canadianize their education and experience in the area is a quicker option.
This is not an either-or scenario. Canada must address local skills and talent mismatches, improve access to learning that helps Canadians develop the skills and knowledge they need to thrive in emerging, in-demand careers and support highly skilled newcomers in succeeding in the Canadian workplace. Continuing education units have been meeting these needs simultaneously and effectively for a long time. Still, we need consistency and government, employer and institutional support to scale up and meet demand. York University’s School of Continuing Studies has perhaps been uniquely blessed in the level of institutional and employer support, which has allowed us to scale our programs much more quickly and effectively than many other institutions.
While working as individual units may have been enough before, to work effectively now we must work collaboratively—across sectors and within our own. Employers, industry associations and government bodies all benefit from the talent pipeline we help build. A unified voice from the continuing education sector can amplify our message and advocate for policies that support both learners and the Canadian economy.
At York University’s School of Continuing Studies, we’ve embraced this responsibility. As one of the largest providers of professionally focused certificates to international and domestic students in Canada, we’ve had the privilege of strong institutional support, from cross-divisional collaboration to active advocacy at the highest levels. Our programs are designed to prepare learners for success not only in Canada but also in their home countries and globally. This global perspective is essential in today’s interconnected workforce.
The financial impact regulatory changes have is significant. Each revision can cost institutions tens of millions of dollars, but the greater risk lies in the erosion of Canada’s reputation as a welcoming, world-class study destination. If we lose that, we don’t just lose students; we lose talent, innovation and long-term productivity.
Now more than ever, continuing education units must lead with clarity, collaboration and commitment to both our learners and the future of Canada’s workforce.
Institutional Policies and Practices to Safeguard and Grow Programming
It’s essential to acknowledge that continuing education leaders may not be able to fully safeguard international program offerings in their current form under the rapidly shifting regulatory environment. I say this as the leader of the largest provider of these types of programs in Canada.
A typical product development cycle, whether in education, tech or consumer goods, assumes a three-year horizon to recoup the initial investment. However, we’re now seeing approved Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) codes change within months, with little to no transparency around the criteria for inclusion. Such change creates a volatile environment not only for institutions but also for students, who are being asked to make life-altering decisions (like relocating across the globe) within that same uncertain timeframe. For example, programs in areas such as cloud computing and digital marketing, which continue to be strong pathways to employment while experiencing domestic talent shortages, were temporarily excluded from eligibility lists without a clear rationale.
While Canada’s university continuing education units have never marketed their programs as immigration pathways, the value proposition of short, professionally focused programs has long been tied to the opportunity to launch a career in Canada. Both federal and provincial governments actively promoted this message for years. The constant flux in post-graduation work permit (PGWP) eligibility undermines that value and introduces a significant risk for students.
To mitigate this risk, we must ensure our programs align with labor market needs in students’ home countries, so education remains a worthwhile investment, regardless of where they ultimately build their careers. We also need to double down on the intangible benefits of in-person education, building professional networks, gaining cultural fluency and developing soft skills that are difficult to replicate online. These experiences are often what make international education transformative, but professional networks and cultural fluency are, by their very nature, localized forms of capital.
At York University and in collaboration with our peers across Ontario, we’ve taken steps to bring more consistency and clarity to our offerings. For instance, continuing education units have collaborated to ensure CIP codes are applied consistently before submitting programs to the provincial ministry, which gives students greater confidence in the classification and integrity of the programs they’re considering.
We also support IRCC’s efforts to reduce fraud and protect Canada’s reputation. The sector welcomed the additional administrative burden of verifying every letter of acceptance submitted to IRCC because it safeguarded institutional integrity and, most importantly, the interests of genuine students. However, the ongoing changes, particularly around the provincial attestation letter (PAL) process and study permit regulations, have introduced new layers of uncertainty and bureaucracy.
While we hope these measures are achieving their intended goals, the drop in applications from high-quality international learners suggests that they have significantly damaged Canada’s ability to attract the world’s best and brightest. As Immigration News recently noted, Canadian universities are already slipping in global rankings, and international student mobility and employability are key drivers of those rankings.
Supporting high-quality, short, professional programs through continuing education units is one of the most efficient ways to restore Canada’s reputation. These programs are designed to help learners enter the workforce quickly and effectively. The PGWP system already had a built-in safeguard: Graduates who lacked marketable skills didn’t meet the employment requirements for permanent residency, and future students don’t apply to programs with poor graduate outcomes.
The new approach, which ties PGWP eligibility to a list of CIP codes, lacks transparency regarding how those code selection and appears to rely on regressive labor market data. Continuing education units moved away from such data years ago because it failed to predict real employment outcomes. Instead, we’ve invested in predictive analytics and employer engagement to ensure our programs meet our participants’ emerging skills needs.
The lack of clarity and the rapid pace of change are prompting students to question whether investing in a Canadian education is worth the risk. If we want to remain a top destination for global talent, we must provide more certainty, more transparency and more support for the programs that are in the best position to deliver on Canada’s workforce and innovation goals.
Collaboration Required to Create Accessible Pathways
Collaboration is critical, and it’s frankly not happening enough. I recently participated in a series of consultations for the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council, and what became abundantly clear was that, while employers are eager to hire newcomers, settlement agencies are ready to support them. Educators like us are helping them gain Canadian credentials (and in many cases, Canadian work experience through work-integrated learning), we’re still operating in silos. These disconnected efforts create gaps that are difficult for both newcomers and Canadians to navigate.
To truly cocreate accessible and effective upskilling pathways, we need to break down those silos and build intentional, sustained partnerships. That means working hand in hand with employers to understand their evolving needs, collaborating with the government to ensure policies support—not hinder—access to education and employment, and engaging community organizations to ensure learners receive holistic support.
Advocacy also plays a vital role. We need to advocate within our universities, especially when it comes to decisions such as PAL allocations and the unique needs of international students in short programs, as well as those of the employers we serve.
As a sector, we must also ensure our voice is present in national conversations. Many forums bring together educators and employers to discuss workforce strategies and emerging skills needs, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s National Workforce Strategies Committee and the Business + Higher Education Roundtable. It’s clear from these conversations that employers and continuing education units are trying to solve similar issues. Still, too often the narrative is dominated by those more familiar with traditional undergraduate education than with the unique role continuing education units play.
We also need to do a better job of telling our own stories. Our work is complex and highly personalized, and we can’t assume our community partners fully understand it. We must consistently highlight the outcomes we deliver—for learners, for employers and communities. That includes celebrating not just access but excellence. Just today, I read about one of our graduates being named to the Cannes Lions 30 Under 30 list. Several of our cybersecurity graduates are not only actively addressing the lack of gender diversity in Canada’s technology sector but have received recognition as national leaders in the cybersecurity industry just a few years after graduation.
Stories like that remind us that we’re not just creating opportunity when we open doors but enabling brilliance. We recently launched a podcast—Successfully Ambiguous?—to share the success stories of industry leaders who are part of our ecosystem and help our students be ready to open the door when opportunity knocks.
Continuing education units are in a unique position to serve as bridges—between education and employment, between newcomers and opportunity, and between sectors that too often work in parallel. But to be an effective bridge, we must lead with collaboration, clarity and a commitment to shared success.
The Balance Between Advocacy, Policy and Access
Compliance is not optional. Our division’s—and indeed, our entire institution’s—ability to continue welcoming international students depends on our strict adherence to both the letter and the spirit of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) policy. At York University, we take that responsibility seriously, knowing that any misstep could jeopardize not only our programs but also the trust students, governments and our broader community place in us.
But compliance does not mean silence. It makes advocacy even more essential. We must raise our voices—consistently and constructively—to advocate for our students, our units and the communities we serve. Continuing education divisions do good work. We help learners build meaningful careers, support employers in addressing skills gaps and contribute to our regions’ economic and social vitality. However, our role, especially in international education, is often misunderstood or overlooked.
That’s why we must actively dispel inaccuracies, communicate our value and ensure our stakeholders—from policymakers to employers to the public—understand the impact we make. Governments have clear goals around immigration, workforce development and economic growth. Continuing education units are uniquely positioned to help deliver on those goals, but only if we are clear, vocal and visible about how we do it.
This means stepping outside the traditional academic echo chamber. Continuing education leaders must engage directly with employers, community organizations and industry partners, not just other educators. This is another core function of our podcast. As host, I engage directly and publicly with all our external partners on YouTube and Spotify.
In a volatile economy, where AI is reshaping roles in real time, where there’s a disconnect between available talent and needed skills, and where Canada is seeking to diversify its international trade relationships, our international students bring exactly what’s required: a growth mindset, current skills, global experience and adaptability.
We need to help employers access this talent. We need to help governments—and sometimes even our institutions—connect the dots between international education, workforce readiness and national prosperity. Balancing compliance with advocacy isn’t just possible but necessary. It’s how we protect institutional integrity while championing equitable access and opportunity that defines continuing education’s mission.
Leveraging Digital Tools and Engagement Strategies to Rebuild Trust and Maintain Enrollment
We’re operating in a regulatory environment that now requires an institutional lens on every aspect of international recruitment in a way it never has before. This shift has made modern digital tools essential for continuing education divisions to remain agile, transparent and trusted by both learners and institutional partners.
Although there are strong pedagogical and operational reasons for continuing education divisions to maintain separate student information systems (SISs), we now need to ensure our data can be shared, interpreted and consolidated within the broader institutional context. For example, IRCC’s requirement for designated learning institutions (DLIs) to verify offer letters in real time means we must have immediate access to the documents we issue—something that’s only possible with integrated, responsive digital systems.
Similarly, PAL allocations are issued at the institutional level, not the divisional one. That means our data must be translatable and reportable to our institutions without extensive manual manipulation. Modern Campus and similar platforms help us bridge that gap, allowing us to maintain the flexibility and learner-centric design continuing education units are known for while aligning with institutional compliance and reporting needs.
The pace of regulatory change has also required us to report on new points along the student journeys, such as application status, registration trends and program-level impacts, so our institutional colleagues can advocate effectively on our behalf and we can assess the viability of course offerings before committing to instructor contracts. Without modern digital infrastructure, this level of responsiveness wouldn’t be possible.
But beyond compliance, these tools are also critical for rebuilding trust with international and newcomer learners. When students see that we can provide clear, timely updates, personalized support and a seamless digital experience, it reinforces their confidence in choosing Canada—and our institutions—as a place to invest in their future. When can they access conversations with industry leaders on topics that matter most to them, anywhere, at any time through our podcast, they experience intimacy, authenticity and engagement with our brand, which builds trust and creates opportunities.
Modern digital tools allow us to be both nimble and strategic. They help us meet regulatory demands, support institutional advocacy and—most importantly—deliver a learner experience that is transparent, responsive and worthy of the trust our students place in us.
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