B.C. university prepares to lay off dozens due to drop in international students
The fall semester is in full swing at post-secondary institutions across the province, but the continued decline in the number of international students has prompted a B.C. university to prepare for a round of layoffs.
Thompson Rivers University (TRU), which serves over 25,000 students across its two campuses, posted a recent budget sustainability update stating that the university was facing “serious financial challenges.”
According to the update, part of the challenges comes from TRU experiencing a sharp drop in international enrollments at a pace faster than expected.
Thompson Rivers University
“The number of international students on our campus this year has dropped 26 per cent overall, while the number of first-year international students has dropped by 53 per cent,” wrote Dr. Airini, president and vice chancellor of TRU, online.
“This decline, combined with structural cost pressures, has created an operating deficit projected to be $25 million to $30 million by 2027-28, and a $7 million to $10 million budget shortfall this year, which is higher than the deficit projected in March when our budget was approved.”
Airini, who goes by a single name, explained that B.C. public universities are required by law to have balanced budgets and that TRU has only 18 to 20 months to achieve budgetary changes
“I know that many of us are already feeling the strain of uncertainty. We will be transparent about what is ahead. We anticipate employment reductions.”
In an update on budget sustainability released in late September, TRU announced that department managers began issuing verbal notices to staff members identified for possible reduction.
Thompson Rivers University
Approximately 65 TRU staff, including administration and faculty, were notified. The university added that up to 40 people could ultimately be affected by the layoffs.
TRU also revealed that it is cancelling or deferring non-essential capital projects, eliminating vacancies and discretionary spending, and conducting program and service reviews.
“Across the university, we all continue to prioritize every possible option to balance the budget and minimize the impact on our colleagues,” wrote Airini. “Nevertheless, due to the scale of the required change, there will be a need for even further workforce reductions.”
The Kamloops-based university is also conducting a review of all its credentials and programs to decide whether to continue them, suspend enrolment, or close them.
“Discussions will be had about changes to programs and services, following due process pursuant to TRU’s policies and collective agreements,” added Airini.
“Everything is on the table. These will be among the hardest decisions we’ve had to make. In our future, TRU will live within our means while we grow our means.”
Thompson Rivers University
The number of new international students arriving in Canada has seen a significant drop, according to data provided by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
According to statistics from IRCC, although Canada issued 11,235 new international student study permits in January this year, those numbers saw a precipitous drop over the next few months. Between January and June this year, Canada issued a total of just 36,417 study permits; in comparison, from January to June 2024, Canada issued 125,034 study permits.
The Canadian government announced last October that the number of new international student study permits issued in 2025 will be 10 per cent less than the 2024 target of 485,000 permits. In addition, Ottawa officially ended its fast-track visa program for international students from 14 countries last November.
And as of June 2025, international students in Canada in non-degree programs for 178 fields of study will no longer be eligible for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP).
According to an announcement by IRCC, these fields of study were cut because they are no longer linked to jobs in long-term labour shortages.
Daily Hive reached out to TRU for comment, which referred us back to the budget sustainability updates on its website. Daily Hive also reached out to CUPE 4879 for comment, but did not receive a response before publication time.