Canada’s Student Caps Claim Another Casualty as Manitoba Trades Institute Shuts Down

Canada’s Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology (MITT) has announced its closure following a steep and sustained decline in international student enrolment, underscoring the disruptive impact of recent federal policy shifts on the country’s education sector. The institute reported a drop exceeding 55% in international admissions, a fall that administrators directly attribute to enrolment caps and tighter regulatory measures introduced by the Canadian government.

MITT, which positioned itself as a career-focused institution catering largely to international students seeking skilled training and post-study employment pathways, found its financial model increasingly untenable under the new restrictions. International students formed a significant share of its enrollment base, and the abrupt contraction left little room for institutional adjustment or recovery.

The closure reflects a broader recalibration underway in Canada’s approach to international education. While federal authorities have defended the caps as necessary to address housing shortages, infrastructure strain and quality concerns, institutions like MITT reveal the uneven burden such policies impose, particularly on smaller colleges and vocational institutes operating outside elite university systems.

For students, including thousands from India who have traditionally viewed Canada as a stable study-abroad destination, the development serves as a cautionary signal. As policy environments harden across popular host countries, the assumptions underpinning global student mobility are being quietly but decisively rewritten.