Niagara College is bracing for another difficult year after the federal government further tightened limits on international students — even as long-awaited infrastructure funding promises potential relief for campus facilities.

But the college said its more pressing concern lies in what Ottawa left untouched, maintaining the cap on work-study permits for international students.

President Sean Kennedy called the federal budget, passed Monday evening, a “mixed bag” for the college. While the overall cap on international students is a concern, he said the immediate impact on Niagara “should be manageable.”

Under the new plan, Canada will allow 155,000 international students in 2026 and 150,000 in each of 2027 and 2028, down from the government’s previous 2026 target of 305,900.

“We still

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