LaSalle College Alters Student Status Amid Compliance Issues

Dozens of students at LaSalle College in Montreal have been unexpectedly shifted from full-time to part-time status, just weeks before the beginning of the academic year. This change aims to align the college with Quebec’s language reform requirements. The adjustment affects approximately 90 students and is due to the government-imposed quotas on English-language vocational programs.

One affected student, Alex Abraham, 33, was preparing to enter his final year in the network management program when he received an email detailing the change. “I was shocked,” he stated, describing the impact on his career plans in Quebec. The new part-time status means he will no longer qualify for Canada’s post-graduation work permit and will face restrictions on off-campus employment. “How can I meet my expenses?” he questioned, expressing his concerns about the financial implications.

In a statement, LaSalle College confirmed that the shift affects only the fall semester. College spokesperson Caroline Gervais emphasized that the measures are necessary to ensure compliance with the Charte de la langue française and associated quotas. The school recently faced significant fines for exceeding these quotas, accumulating nearly $30 million in penalties due to over-enrollment in English-language programs.

According to documents reviewed by CBC, during the 2024-25 academic year, LaSalle College’s English-language programs exceeded the enrollment cap by 1,066 students. This resulted in a fine of $21,113,864 on top of an earlier $8.7 million penalty from the previous year. The college is currently challenging these fines in a civil suit filed in Quebec’s Superior Court.

Abraham, originally from India, moved to Canada with aspirations for a better life and career opportunities. “The standard of living is good here in Canada compared to India,” he noted, expressing disappointment over the sudden change in his academic status. While he was aware of the college’s penalties, he believed that the institution would find a resolution without altering student enrollments.

Gervais explained that various factors, including student performance and changes in academic pathways, influenced the decision to change student statuses. She reassured that the college did not exceed its overall AEC quota, but rather faced limitations based on the capacity of programs within those quotas.

The office of Higher Education Minister Pascale Déry has not commented publicly, citing the ongoing judicial process regarding the college’s fines. The college indicated that many students impacted by the status change had either failed classes or altered their academic trajectories, although this did not apply to Abraham. He feels that being selected for this group feels arbitrary and unjust.

In response to the situation, LaSalle College has arranged a meeting for affected students with representatives from Immigration Canada. Abraham anticipates this meeting will shed light on his circumstances. “I have the right to know the reason,” he stated, emphasizing his frustration over being caught in the college’s compliance issues. “I am not the reason for the fine. They did the wrong thing; they violated the rule.”

As the academic year approaches, the fallout from these changes leaves students like Abraham in a precarious position, balancing their educational ambitions with the realities of compliance and regulation in Quebec’s evolving educational landscape.