Tag Archives: Canada

September 6, 2019 · 7:00 am

8 Quick Facts about Canada’s New International Education Strategy

September 6th, 2019

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If you haven’t heard, Canada has outlined a five-year CA$148 million plan to bolster its international student recruitment and study abroad. The government sees this as a valuable investment for a future work force that will have an international perspective with strong global networks and cultural savviness in new markets and regions that will only strengthen Canada.

What is Canada doing to diversify its global recruiting efforts in the tertiary sector?

First, it’s the federal government’s financial commitment to the initiative and Canada is doing this by pledging nearly CA$30-million over the next 5 years for its diversification efforts.
Targeting countries with a large and growing middle class which may have limited capacity to accommodate the higher education needs of their student population.
Focusing on regions of the world where receiving a Canadian education in English or French is appealing.
Brazil, Colombia, France, Indonesia, Mexico, Morocco, Philippines, Thailand, Turkey, and Ukraine, are the countries where the Canadian government will focus its marketing efforts.
The government will also attract international students to attend schools in Canada’s smaller cities to bring economic benefits to regions that have received fewer immigrants.
The government will make it possible for some of the international students who complete their studies in Canada to apply for permanent residency in an effort to retain their knowledge and networks.
The government has also planned to allocate $95-million to encourage and support Canadian students to study abroad in countries in Asia and Latin America.
The initiative will also dedicate financial support for study abroad opportunities for Indigenous and low-income students, and students with disabilities.

Sources:

https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-trudeau-government-outlines-five-year-148-million-plan-to-attract/

https://thepienews.com/news/canada-federal-budget-millions/

The Academic Credentials Evaluation Institute, Inc. (ACEI), was founded in 1994 and is based in Los Angeles, CA, USA. ACEI provides a number of services that include evaluations of international academic credentials for U.S. educational equivalence, translation, verification, and professional training programs. ACEI is a Charter and Endorsed Member of the Association of International Credential Evaluators. For more information, visit www.acei-global.org.

Why is Canada the favored destination for International Students?

January 18th, 2019

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Right before the end of 2018, Forbes posted an article on how successful Canada has been in attracting international students to its institutions while the United States, United Kingdom and Australia are experiencing the opposite. The US has been keeping its #1 spot for a few decades as the preferred destination for international students, followed by the UK, Australia, and Canada but it is losing its hold on this title, as is the UK. We have decided to look at these four countries and highlight what has caused the uptick for Canada while the others are seeing the numbers plateauing.

Spotlight: U.S.A.

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The 2018 Open Doors Report cited the political climate in the U.S. as one of the major factors contributing to the ongoing declining enrollment of international students. Out of 540 institutions surveyed for the report, 60 percent cited the present political and social climate as one of the major reasons for the slump.

Security and safety are an issue
High cost of living and tuition
New strict visa rule make is very difficult for securing student visas and work permits after graduation

Spotlight: United Kingdom

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UK has enjoyed holding the #2 spot after the US, but it has seen a decline in international student number due to the following:

Tougher Immigration policies
Brexit caused an immediate decline in EU students attending UK institutions
High cost of living
High tuition fees

Spotlight: Australia

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Australia is heavily reliant on China for its international students and is becoming less popular for the Chinese because of the following:

Security and safety concerns
Tougher immigration policies
High tuition fees
Difficult in securing student visas

Spotlight: Canada

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Between 2015 and 2017 alone, the number of international students in Canada increased by over 40 per cent. What is Canada doing?

Lenient immigration policies
Seen as open, safe and welcoming
Offering postgraduate work permits for up 3 years and encourages international students to apply for permanent residency
Availability of study visas which are significantly easier to obtain
Lower cost of living
Lower tuition costs
Canadian employers have shown great interest in hiring international student graduates not only because they speak several languages but they are seen as an asset to the Canadian work force and economy. According to the Forbes article: “As baby boomers retire from the workforce, Canada looks to newcomers like international students to help cover projected worker shortages in local economies by 2025. As a result of international student spending, approximately 170,000 jobs were created in the Canadian economy in 2017. That is a significant economic stimulus.”

A few common threads we see amongst the US, UK and Australia are their stricter immigration policies, many of which were shaped because of shifts in their respective governments, but they are also seen as expensive both in terms of cost of living and tuition. Limited or no opportunities for employment and possibilities to apply for permanent residency on graduation also makes these countries less attractive higher education destinations. When you compare Canada’s open and welcoming approach to international students and the opportunities students have on graduation, it is obvious why it is the favored destination and why it will soon make its way to the #1 position.

Source Links:

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/2018-12-10/how-international-students-are-changing-australias-universities

https://www.forbes.com/sites/andyjsemotiuk/2018/11/16/international-students-pour-into-canada-ahead-of-projections/#45eac55853ec

https://collegepostnews.com/international-student-enrollments-decline/

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/eu-students-numbers-apply-uk-universities-fall-7-per-cent-brexit-latest-news-figures-a7558131.html

https://www.studyinternational.com/news/uk-universities-losing-out-on-international-students-due-to-stricter-immigration-policies/

https://www.bbc.com/news/education-36252302

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Filed under Education, Politics, Travel

Tagged as Canada, college, international education, international students, travel

August 23, 2018 · 7:21 pm

Canada and Saudi Arabia: The Tweet that Sparked a Diplomatic Feud

August 24th, 2018

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Image Credit: Alexander Glandien

We recently learned of news that Saudi Arabia has expelled the Canadian ambassador from the country and has decided to recall its students from Canada.

What caused this diplomatic spat between the two countries? The short answer is: a tweet. It started with a tweet sent by Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland criticizing the Saudi government over the detention of human rights activists.

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In response, Saudi Arabia responded by taking the following retaliatory steps:

• expelled the Canadian ambassador and announced that it would pull out more than 15,000 Saudis studying in Canada on government-funded courses or grants at colleges and universities;

• ordered a suspension of patients being transferred to Canada for medical treatment;
announced that it is suspending Saudi state airline flights to Toronto;

• on Monday, August 6th, the Saudi Arabian Cultural Bureau, a division of the Ministry of Education, announced on its website that by the end of the Islamic calendar year in September it will suspend all training and scholarship programs Saudi students are enrolled in at Canadian institutions;

• any accompanying family members of the Saudi students are also expected to leave Canada which according to The Business Insider could bring the number of Saudi nationals departing up to 20,000.

The Saudi government intends to place the Saudi students and their tuition in programs in other countries with similar education systems, such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand.

No sooner had the Saudi government announced its plans to withdraw its students from Canadian institutions that we hear of a US university announcing its plans to ease admissions process for the Saudi students. Regardless of this offer, relocating so many students to other countries so close to the start of a new academic year is going to be very problematic.

Academicians also see an agenda in this latest move by the Saudi government. According to an interview in Times Higher Education with Dr. Chris Davidson, professor in Middle East politics at Durham University, he sees the transfer of students from Canada to the UK or elsewhere as complicated and costly. Dr. Davidson adds: “I don’t believe that’s their [the Saudi government’s] intention. They want to trim their bloated higher education budget by reducing the amount of students they pay to send to the West.” The Saudi government’s actions are also seen as a warning to other countries to refrain from publicly criticizing Saudi Arabia as done by the Canadian minister.

Canadian universities, especially the smaller institutions, will feel the effects of the financial loss, but they will recover since they continue to be one of leading top countries in attracting and receiving international students. It’s the Saudi students that are going to be affected the most. In an age of political overreaction, we can see that higher education is affected as much as any other entity and blameless students used as pawns.

Source Links:

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/saudi-removal-students-canada-warning-shot-us-and-uk

https://www.businessinsider.com/saudi-arabia-canada-human-rights-students-2018-8

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-saudi-arabia-to-withdraw-all-saudi-students-studying-at-canadian/

https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/us-university-welcomes-saudi-students-canada

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/06/opinion/saudi-arabia-canada

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Filed under Education, Politics

Tagged as Canada, education, politics, Saudi Arabia