International students in Canada

Students are able to work off-campus 20 hours a week during the regular school year and engage in full-time employment during scheduled breaks on the strength of their study permit.[12] After graduation, students wishing to remain in Canada may apply for a Post-Graduation Work Permit, lasting three years - and subsequently for a Permanent Residency Pathway. Part of their Core 1 responsibility in the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada Departmental Plan 2019-2020 is an intention to work with all partners to better understand options for immigration for international students in a "study to immigration" initiative.[3]

In recent year there has been considerable concern about how well international graduates are faring during their post graduation work permit phase. Not only is there evidence on hand which suggests very low volumes of these graduates are successful in their goal of transitioning from international student to Permanent Residence,[13] but also that the vast majority of international graduates working on post graduate work permit are stuck working in low skilled low paying jobs.[14]

The large number of international students studying in Canada contributes significantly to the Canadian economy. According to Global Affairs Canada, the economic impact can be felt across the entire country. In 2015, expenditures by international students, including tourism associated with visitors to the students, was worth $12.8 billion; in 2016, that figure had increased by 21.2% to $15.5 billion. Long-term international students spent an estimated yearly average of $33,800 in 2015 and $35,100 in 2016. This figure includes expenses associated with education, as well as unrelated discretionary spending, but excludes money spent by visiting family and friends. In 2015, international education created or supported 140,010 jobs (118,640 full-time equivalent), and in 2016, that increased to approximately 168,860 jobs (143,150 FTE).[7]

International student spending in Ontario contributed $5.04 billion to the provincial gross domestic product in 2015; this figure increased to $6.35 billion in 2016. The expenditures of international students supported 62,737 jobs in 2015, and 79,034 jobs in 2016.[7] British Columbia also experienced an increase in their GDP from $2.39 billion in 2015 up to $2.76 in 2016. Over the same period, jobs supported by foreign enrollment in British Columbia increased from 35,294 to 40,499.[7]

As the number of international students in Canada increase, serious ethical concerns have begun to emerge related to the conditions international students face as well as the international student recruitment process, which to date remains unregulated.

The concerns began to appear in the Canadian media in September 2019 when the Toronto Star, in collaboration with the St Catharine's Standard, published a four part investigative series called "The Price of Admission".[15][16][17][18] A full length investigative piece published by the Walrus Magazine, provided an in depth descriptions of the potential for exploitation Canada's international students face.[19] Consumer protection concerns and concerns related to program integrity of Canada's International study program and unregulated international student recruitment have also been covered by the Globe and Mail[20] and other news sources.[21] There have also been a number of media reports that outline an increasing problem with international students committing suicide.[22]

A concern has been that the expectations marketed by overseas unregulated education agents who are recruiting the students for colleges and universities in Canada may create false expectations. Education agents typically earn a 15%-20% tuition commission for sending students successfully to a partner institution[23] in many cases the student recruit is fully unaware of this commission. In many cases these agents use aggregator platforms that enable them to earn commissions for placements even when they do not have a direct recruitment contract with the Canadian designated learning institution they are performing recruitment functions for.[24] This has raised some concerns, due to the fact aggregator recruitment platforms do not allow the respective designated learning institutions in Canada to control the messaging or business practices of the education agents who are performing recruitment functions on the ground.[25]

In what is suspected to be part of a human smuggling operation, on January 19, 2022, the bodies of four people (all Indian nationals) — two adults, a teen and an infant, believed to be a family — were found on the Canadian side of the U.S.-Canada border near Emerson, Manitoba. At least one of the individuals is known to have entered Canada on a student visa.[26]Some evidence exists that this may be part of a much larger human smuggling operation focused on illegal trafficking of temporary residents from Canada to the United States of America.[27] In 2006, the Canadian Border Service Agency published a report called “Student Fraud in the Pacific Region” a report which highlighted the CBSA’s uncovering of several hundred cases of alleged fraud within the International Student Program (ISP). "Students" uncovered in the investigation were linked to organized criminal activities such as prostitution, drug trafficking and gun smuggling. CBSA concluded that student-related fraud poses risks to the immigration program’s integrity, and to public safety and national security.[28]

The notable growth in international students from India has led to escalated tensions with Canada's large Indian Canadian community, who claim that students are "stealing their jobs" and "causing violence" within the established Indian enclaves of the country.[29][30]