Ontario has committed to taking strict action against private post-secondary institutions accused of exploiting international students, after the federal government announced on Monday that it will cap the number of student permits issued over the next two years.

Federal Immigration Minister Mark Miller announced that the government will reduce the number of student visas by 35 percent for 2024, pointing out that the goal is partly to target private institutions he described as the diploma equivalent of puppy mills.

A portion of the total student visas will be allocated to each province and territory, distributed according to population, and in some provinces, permits will be reduced by about 50 percent.

Also, in his talk with CBC's Power and Politics program, Miller specifically pointed to British Columbia and Ontario as areas where private institutions issue what he called fake certificates. He said these institutions have exploded in the past two years and that federal and provincial governments need to control them.

He added, "We also need to put this issue on the table to make the provinces do the tasks they are supposed to do," adding that the provinces have the precise tools to do this in a way that supports system integrity."

CBC News previously reported that private post-secondary institutions mislead international students, and recruitment officers make dubious claims about jobs and accommodation and allegedly issue forged documents for visa applications.

Likewise, Immigration Minister Mark Miller, who announced that the federal government will cap the number of international student permits over the next two years, told CBC reporter David Cochrane that there are hundreds of “diploma mills” across the country, and the provinces share responsibility in cracking down on them.

In British Columbia, Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills Selena Robinson said her government is working on a set of measures that will be announced next week, which would significantly raise quality standards in international education.

Speaking to CBC Radio’s The Early Edition, Robinson said British Columbia has over 250 private post-secondary institutions, and she was appalled by some of their behaviors, including recruiting students with false promises of in-class education and guaranteed housing.

She said the province is working with the federal government to increase regional oversight and ensure that student visas are applied in a big way.

The province is also set to announce measures that would improve oversight and accountability for private education providers who advertise services to international students, according to Post-Secondary Education Minister Selena Robinson in an interview with BC Today host Michelle Elliott.

Meanwhile, Jill Dunlop, Ontario’s Minister of Colleges and Universities, said in a statement that the province is also working with the federal government to find ways to eliminate practices like predatory recruitment.

She added: “We know that some bad actors exploit these students with false promises of guaranteed work, residency, and Canadian citizenship.”