March 15, 2022
Canada: International Students, Good for the Growth of Communities and Economy
A At the recently held ApplyBoard’s Educate the World Conference – Canada, Canadian Minister for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Sean Fraser shared on the important role played by the International Students in the growth of Communities and the Canadian Economy.
“We know that when people come and make a contribution, it does wonders for our communities and does wonders for our economy…Canada’s recovery from Covid is going to require that we bring an emphasis on growth-oriented policies, and it’s a no-brainer to me that immigration is going to help drive that growth,” Fraser said.
…we know that when people come and make a contribution, it does wonders for our communities and does wonders for our economy…
“There is considerably more vulnerability with internationally mobile students … We need to make sure we keep delivering on that student-centred approach – we must support them as whole students, and continue to refine and prioritise around them,” said Larissa Bezo, president and CEO of CBIE. The ApplyBoard’s Educate the World Conference had a panel featuring big leagues such as Languages Canada and Universities Canada, CICan and CAPS-I and CBIE.
Sean Fraser shares the positive impact of international students on the Canadian economy, “International students bring extraordinary employment skills, and with many of them having work experience in Canada, they’re well positioned to apply for permanent residency on the back end of their studies…These students are helping to fill a pressing need in areas like healthcare and tech, and as more students build their future in Canada, this is going to contribute directly to our economic recovery and our long-term prosperity.
“During Covid, many international students lost their part time jobs as a result of lockdowns and business closures – that’s why we lifted restrictions to allow them to work over 20 hours per week off campus during an academic term… so they could support themselves during a really challenging time,” he continued.
Canada, one of the most preferred education destinations in the world, is not without issues. Visa processing and other immigration related issues are also there. Fraser explained, “If we completely did away with the requirement that there was an intent to go home at the end of your year, for example, we wouldn’t have space to resettle anyone else through economic streams or humanitarian streams… We have to try to make sure that we’re planning for the succession of a person’s immigration journey – we want more international students to come here and likely stay here, but not necessarily every single student who applies to be planning to stay immediately because our immigration system doesn’t have that capacity.”
Posted in News and tagged News, Canada, International Students
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