The federal government is cutting the number of international study permits for Nova Scotia universities and colleges by 35 per cent this year.

Nova Scotia will receive 12,900 permit applications in 2024, down from about 19,900 last year.

The changes are a result of the federal government’s attempts to ease the national housing shortage by slashing international study permits in Canada by more than one-third and imposing a two-year cap on student visas.

Nova Scotia Advanced Education Minister Brian Wong says his department has distributed this year’s permits among the province’s 32 universities, colleges, private career colleges and language schools.

Of Nova Scotia’s 11 universities and colleges, Cape Breton University is taking the biggest hit with 5,086 applications — a 52 per cent drop from last year.

However, Dalhousie University in Halifax will receive 1,180 applications — 70 per cent more than in 2023.

Wong says it’s too early to tell what the financial implications will be for each school.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 28, 2024.

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