Selkirk College leadership continues to address the impacts of changes to federal immigration policy.
Read answers to frequently asked questions about strategic adjustments the college has made to navigate these external challenges. Selkirk College is working hard to support the college community through this period and remains committed to providing excellent, accessible education that meets workforce demands.
Frequently Asked Questions
*This information is current as of June 23, 2025
How many employees has Selkirk College had to lay off to date?
There have been workforce reductions of 43 full-time equivalent positions across all employee groups in the college related to changes in federal immigration policy. This includes layoffs, contract non-renewals, early retirements, voluntary work reductions and decisions not to backfill vacant positions.
What type of employees have been impacted?
Both regular ongoing employees and short-term employees across all employee groups have been affected by changes to federal immigration policy.
Has Selkirk College suspended or cancelled any programs?
We have not cancelled any programs at this time. However, due to lack of or very low enrolment, we have suspended some intakes of:
Accounting – Postgraduate Diploma
Business Management – Postgraduate Diploma
Culinary Management – Postgraduate Diploma
Full-Stack Web Development – Postgraduate Diploma
Gerontological Nursing – Postgraduate Diploma
Has Selkirk College approved a budget for 2025–2026?
The Selkirk College Board of Governors approved a balanced budget of $70,400,827 for the 2025–2026 fiscal year at its May board meeting. The balanced budget reflects the exceptionally challenging work done across the college to close the $9 million revenue gap we were facing at the beginning of this past year.
How has Selkirk College reduced its deficit?
To meet the decline in international enrolment, Selkirk College has suspended the intakes of several programs and introduced new cost-saving measures, including strategic hiring, better space utilization and spending restrictions. We’re trying to minimize layoffs by identifying voluntary workforce reduction opportunities. We’ll be leaving several vacant positions unfilled and have not renewed contracts in some cases.
We are working closely with the three unions representing employees at the college: BC Government Employees Union (BCGEU), Selkirk College Faculty Association (SCFA) and Public Private Workers of Canada (PPWC).
Which programs are eligible for post-graduation work permits?
Explore a list of programs that may be eligible for post-graduation work permits. The college continues to monitor the IRCC list and will update the list as any changes occur.
Please note, several programs traditionally enrolled by international students at Selkirk College are no longer eligible for post-graduation work permits, including Hospitality & Tourism and Business. Current students will not be impacted by these changes.
Why is Selkirk College closing its learning centres in Kaslo and Nakusp?
Over the past five years, the Kaslo Learning Centre averaged 12 full-time equivalent (FTE) students in Academic Upgrading & Development (AUD) programs, while Nakusp averaged 13 FTEs in AUD. Selkirk College also delivered some short-term continuing education programs in the communities.
Despite the value these programs provide to the communities, the cost of delivering them is higher than other campuses and learning centres.
Is Selkirk College seeing any enrolment trends?
Selkirk College is seeing positive trends in domestic applications, including an 8% increase in accepted domestic students compared to June 2024. The college has 14 active waitlists, and several fall intakes of Industry & Trades Training and Environment & Geomatics programs are nearing or have reached 100 % capacity.
Selkirk College is projecting a 55% decrease in international qualified students for 2025/26. The college is actively working to mitigate further reductions in 2026/27 to ensure the overall vibrancy of Selkirk College programming for both domestic and international learners.