- Collège supérieur de Montréal will challenge its permit non-renewal in court this Friday following a provincial shutdown order.
- Over nine hundred international students face academic uncertainty and potential permit expiration by August thirty-first, twenty twenty-six.
- Quebec’s Education Ministry cite quality concerns and past investigations as reasons for targeting multiple private vocational institutions.
Collège supérieur de Montréal will challenge Quebec's permit non-renewal in court on Friday, July 24, after the province refused to renew its operating licence and ordered the school to suspend teaching. More than 900 international students are caught in the shutdown. Students have little time.
Quebec's Education Ministry told the college and its sister institution, Collège supérieur de Sherbrooke, in the spring that their operating licences would not be renewed. It said courses offered as of July 1 would not be recognized. Teaching stopped on July 14.
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Noureddine Hajibi, the executive director, said the school is contesting the decision because it believes the grounds are wrong. He called them "inaccurate reasons."
Hajibi said the school is contesting the decision. "Their academic journey, their future, and, for many, their plans for life in Quebec are directly threatened by this decision."
Quebec's Education Ministry told students to enroll in another institution and gave them a list of public colleges to contact. It said tuition may be waived for transfers to designated schools. The paperwork stays, for now.
Quebec's Immigration Ministry said students still must submit a new study application, but they may resume studies once it is submitted rather than waiting for approval in this special situation. Future applications, including possible permanent immigration applications, will not be affected.
August 31 is closing in fast
Counts placed the total between 878 and more than 900. At the Montreal campus alone, 582 students were enrolled. Many are close to graduation. Some are trying to finish exams and internships before Aug. 31.
Samia Chraibi is set to graduate this summer.
Samia Chraibi is losing sleep. "I basically stay up at night crying because my papers will expire on Aug. 31. I don't have the right to work, and I don't have the right to study."
Ouazar Ghenima had one exam and one internship remaining when the shutdown hit. Summer holidays made it impossible to enroll elsewhere before her permit expires. Leandro Donizeti da Silva moved his family to Quebec in 2024 to study accounting, and he described himself as "very stressed" as his path to a post-graduation work permit and permanent residency was blocked. Summer left little room.
Students marched to the ministry on July 19
Students protested in Montreal on July 19, 2026, marching from the Viger Avenue campus to the offices of the Quebec immigration ministry. More than 100 students took part. They demanded automatic transfers and status extensions. The college remains closed pending the legal challenge.
Four private, subsidized institutions had their permits suspended or not renewed. The wider action also hit Herzing College and Veritas College of Technology in Montreal. The government has tightened scrutiny of private vocational colleges that enroll many students from abroad, pointing to quality concerns, and a 2023 investigation found fake internships at a fictitious hospital used by students to satisfy degree requirements. The crackdown widened.
Friday brings the next test
The hearing on July 24 is expected to determine if the college can resume operations temporarily. Until then, the school stays closed. Friday brings the next test.
