WINNIPEG — A post-secondary institute in Manitoba is winding down operations, with the provincial government blaming a federal cap on international student visas as the reason for the closure.
The Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology announced Wednesday in a memo on its website that rapid and ongoing changes to the international student program “have created uncertainty for students and post-secondary institutions across Canada and sent a message abroad that international students aren’t valued here.”
The memo went on to say the school has seen international enrolment drop by more than 55 per cent.
Renée Cable, minister of advanced education and training, said it’s a direct result of “that unilateral decision by the federal government.”
“We’re at a point where international students are no longer applying in many cases because the brand is so damaged on the international scene,” she said.
“We’re left making tough calls that I’d rather not be making.”
The school was officially formed after legislation was passed in 2014 to respond to Manitoba’s labour market needs and the changing work environment. It previously operated for decades as the Winnipeg Technical College.
During the 2024-25 school year, there were 4,663 students enrolled. Cable said 1,988 of those were international students.
Ottawa began clawing back on the number of international student visas it provides amid concerns that number had grown so quickly schools could not provide adequate supports, including housing.
The move has prompted colleges and universities across the country to warn it has put them in a tighter financial bind.
Post-secondary institutions across the country have been posting deficit budgets, laying off staff and cutting programs as international student enrolment drops. Schools had become increasingly reliant on international student fees to balance their books.
International tuition at the Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology dropped from $23.2 million during the 2024-25 school year to $9.5 million this year, Cable said.
The post-secondary school hinted at challenges the international student cap presented, saying in its last annual report that some programs were temporarily paused to address the changes, while others saw expanded enrolment to meet evolving labour market needs.
A spokesperson for the federal Immigration Department said maintaining limits on the number of student arrivals is part of a plan to reduce the number of temporary residents in Canada to less than five per cent of the population by the end of 2027.
“The changes to the International Student Program were informed by a series of consultations with representatives from provincial and territorial ministries of education and immigration, national education associations and other key stakeholders,” the spokesperson said in a statement Wednesday.
“(The department) continues to work with the provinces and territories on the issue of allocations because they are responsible for education in their jurisdictions as well as for the regulation of private institutions.”
The Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology provides certificates and diplomas in a range of fields, including culinary arts, carpentry and early childhood education, as well as high school and English-language courses.
Cable said Manitoba has been working with the school over the past year to try to find solutions to recruit more domestic students, but the lack of notice and consultation from the federal government before introducing the cap forced the province to shut down operations.
“If there was a longer runway and we had been consulted and institutions had known that this was all coming down the pipe … my guess would be that there would have been more opportunity to plan.”
The Opposition Progressive Conservatives said the closure is a blow to Manitoba’s economy.
“This is a sad day for our province to lose a school of this calibre,” education critic Wayne Ewasko said in a statement.
“Fewer programs offered, means fewer students graduating, and fewer students entering the workforce.”
The school said it is working with RRC Polytech, formerly known as Red River College, to transfer select programs over the course of the next year.
In a note to staff and students, RRC Polytech president Fred Meier said a comprehensive review of programming at the institute will take place to determine which ones need to be preserved.
“There is some unique programming at (Manitoba Institute of Technology and Trades) and there is also overlap between programs at both institutions,” he said.
“The MITT program review will prioritize students and labour market needs.”
Cable said there will be no disruptions to programs for current students and no immediate changes for the 368 teachers at the school.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 28, 2026.
Brittany Hobson, The Canadian Press
