Minister Jill Dunlop announced on Friday that Ontario colleges and universities will be required to guarantee housing for incoming international students.

She also said the government will review post-secondary institutions with a "large" number of international students and will impose a ban on new partnerships between public colleges and private institutions.

This announcement comes days after the federal government announced a cap on study permits for international undergraduate students over the next two years.

Federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller also announced earlier this week a 35 percent reduction in the number of study permits this year, although with the total cap divided among provinces, Ontario will see its new visa allocations halved.

This step comes in response to the recent increase in the number of international students, and Miller said the goal is to prevent bad actors from taking advantage of high tuition fees for international students while providing poor education.

Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative government forced public colleges and universities to reduce tuition by 10 percent in 2019, then froze tuition at that level without providing a corresponding increase in funding.

Post-secondary institutions, especially colleges, began enrolling more and more international students in an attempt to make up for lost revenue.

The Ontario government said on Friday it is working to protect students and improve the integrity of post-secondary education in the province.

"The challenges arising from the recent increase in the number of students coming to Canada, including predatory practices by bad recruiters, misinformation about citizenship and permanent residency, false promises of guaranteed employment, and unsuitable student housing, require immediate attention and collaborative action," Dunlop wrote in a statement.

The measures taken by the government include a requirement that all colleges and universities have a guarantee that housing options are available for incoming international students.

But Ontario Green Party leader Mike Schreiner said this will not do much. He wrote in a statement: "Housing does not appear out of nowhere." "Imposing housing without a commitment to funding to help Ontario universities and colleges pay for it is nothing more than smoke and mirrors."

The New Democratic Party criticized the Progressive Conservatives for failing to respond to a government-commissioned report last year that recommended the province increase tuition and fund colleges and universities.

Jamie West, the NDP critic, wrote in a statement: “It is abundantly clear that this government prefers to shut down post-secondary institutions rather than provide the necessary investments to keep them standing.”

Since the report’s release in November, Dunlop said the province is reviewing the recommendations and working with institutions to help find "competencies."

This review is still ongoing.

The province also said: "As this review process continues, the government will work closely with the sector to reach an outcome that provides stability and certainty for post-secondary institutions and students alike, with further details to be announced by the end of February," a statement said.

The Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations said Friday’s announcement misses the mark because it comes without funding.

Negmendra Narine, the head of the organization, also wrote in a statement: "Ontario needs international students, but universities need more government funding to provide the support international and domestic students need to succeed inside and outside the classrooms."

The ministry provided no tools to do so with these proposals.”

Dunlop also announced a regional review of programs offered by post-secondary institutions with a large number of international students to ensure appropriate program quality and skills meeting labor market needs.

The province also said it will impose a ban on new partnerships between public and private colleges "while more work is done to strengthen oversight mechanisms and ensure the quality of existing partnerships."

This federal announcement this week included preventing students at schools following a private and public model from obtaining work permits for post-graduate studies as of September 1.

Ontario colleges and universities opposed the federal government's move to limit international student visas.