There has been a massive increase in enrollment of international students from Mainland China over the last decade. So much so that China is among the top source countries of international students to Canada. This has immensely benefited Canadian universities and the Canadian economy. However, the latest trends in the international students coming from China indicate that measures need to be taken to make this more sustainable.
Every September, hundreds of students from all over the world make their way to Canada to start their study programs at different universities and colleges. Among the top source countries of international students are India, China, France, Vietnam, Iran, Brazil, Nigeria, Bangladesh, and more.
However, more than any other country, international students coming from Mainland China were the most impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. The number of students applying for Canadian Study Permits from China decreased by 65.1% in 2020. Moreover, most of the students who were approved for a Study Permit have not yet arrived in Canada due to international travel restrictions.
How Did the COVID-19 Pandemic Affect International Student Enrollment from China?
In 2020, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) received 12,077 Study Permit applications from Chinese students. This was a significant drop from the 34,583 applications received in the previous year. The approval rates for Study Permit applications also decreased by 3.6% which led to an overall decrease of 66.6% in the Study Permits approved for Chinese Students.
Overall, the approval rate for international students from all over the world dropped by 8.9% since many international students faced difficulties in submitting a completed application due to Covid-19 restrictions. The total applications received by the IRCC fell by 48.1% while the approval rate decline caused a 55.8% decrease in the number of Study Permit applications.
Now, just because a Study Permit application is approved does not mean that the said Study Permit will be issued. This happens sometimes when students change their minds about studying in Canada or they are inadmissible due to medical or security issues.
Almost 95% of all approved Study Permits between 2016 and 2019 were issued to Chinese students. This means that a significant majority of Chinese students usually follow through on their plans to study in Canada and are rarely denied entry at the border due to inadmissibility issues.
However, this was also affected due to the pandemic. In 2020, only 25% of the approved Study Permits were issued to Chinese students. This is a very significant drop compared to all other countries. This signifies that a majority of Chinese students who were approved for a Study Permit have decided to either pursue their studies online or wait till the pandemic has passed to travel to Canada. Around 7,000 Chinese students approved in 2020 have yet to arrive in Canada.
How Many Chinese Students Arrived in Canada in 2020?
Now, we already learned that a significant number of Chinese students with approved Study Permits decided not to travel to Canada due to a change of plans or until the pandemic is over. However, what about the students who did travel to Canada to begin their studies in 2020?
Due to the pandemic, there was a decrease in the number of international students arriving in every Canadian province and territory. The decline is different across provinces, for example, Chinese student arrival in Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia dropped by 82.1% and 94.1% respectively.
The maximum number of international students usually study in Ontario, British Columbia, Quebec, Alberta, and Nova Scotia. Since they receive the largest number of international students, they also experienced the largest drop. Chinese student arrival in Ontario decreased by 92.3%, a loss of almost 15,000 new students.
|
Provinces |
Study Permits Issued to Chinese Students |
Decline |
|
British Columbia |
645 |
5,541 |
|
Alberta |
88 |
1,282 |
|
Saskatchewan |
79 |
362 |
|
Manitoba |
72 |
543 |
|
Ontario |
1,227 |
14,808 |
|
Quebec |
160 |
1,808 |
|
New Brunswick |
73 |
369 |
|
Nova Scotia |
76 |
1,213 |
|
Prince Edward Island |
21 |
150 |
|
Newfoundland and Labrador |
14 |
116 |
