B.C. Premier David Eby said it is crucial that the province correct the issues in the international education system, noting the sector's "cornerstone" role in the social and economic fabric of the province.

"There are a wide array of private institutions, big and small in our province, but regardless of the size of the institution, our expectations of the level of quality are the same," he said at a media availability in Ottawa. "There are institutions that are not meeting our expectations right now."

The B.C. Federation of Students — which represents more than 170,000 people enrolled at universities, colleges and institutes — said the changes are a "good first step" and an acknowledgment of issues raised by the group for several years.

The federation called the problem of "exploitative international recruitment" a "dire" situation, and said the provincial review also needs to consider "overreliance" on tuition from foreign students by public post-secondary institutions.

"Our priority is for student's needs to be centred as next steps are taken," said federation chairperson Melissa Chirino. "We want to ensure international students are protected, tuition fees aren't being viewed as a way to cover potential institutional budget shortfalls and services that students rely on aren't being cut."