Canadian universities bet on international students, but global shifts present risks

When the University of British Columbia announced the launch of Vantage College in 2013, the school said it envisioned the program for fee-paying international students would have enrolment of 1,000 by August 2016.

The struggles of Vantage College reflect the unpredictable nature of the lucrative international education sector, as Canadian universities find themselves beholden to geopolitical and economic shifts.UBC spokesman Matthew Ramsey said in a written statement that “work is under way” to assess the Vantage model.

“It’s a big sector,” said BCCIE executive director Randall Martin, noting the industry covers everything from K-12 education and two-year transfer colleges to language schools and degrees at large universities. Statistics Canada data show that students from the world’s two most populous countries accounted for more than half of the almost 550,000 study permits issued by Canada in 2022.

“I think Canada was portrayed as not a safe place for Chinese students in the Chinese media, and our numbers did go down a bit,” he said. “I wonder if some families are thinking, ’God, should we spend all this money up front if we’re worried about our child is going to graduate and not have a job to come back to?’”

Indian international students tend to be proficient in English and do not require pathway programs, Fischer said. She described Orchard Commons as “not crowded” and offering ample space for her and other Vantage students.While the number of Chinese students have fallen across Canada, overall international student numbers are on the rise, largely due to students from India.

Fischer said there is a precedent in Canada’s dispute with Saudi Arabia over the kingdom’s arrest of human rights activists in 2018. Permits issued to Saudi students fell from 5,080 in 2017 to 1,185 in 2019.

Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

FROM AUSTRIA TO OTTAWA: Thomas Schaffer has big presence on Redblacks\u0027 defensive lineHe\u0027s still adjusting to life in Canada and the style of the Canadian Football League.
Source: OttawaCitizen - 🏆 21. / 68 Read more »

FROM AUSTRIA TO OTTAWA: Thomas Schaffer has big presence on Redblacks\u0027 defensive lineHe\u0027s still adjusting to life in Canada and the style of the Canadian Football League.
Source: ottawasuncom - 🏆 4. / 92 Read more »

Canada's Sports Hall of Fame collection now housed at Canadian Museum of HistoryThe bobsled from the 1964 Canadian bobsled team.
Source: CBCOttawa - 🏆 68. / 51 Read more »

Canada job gains triples expectations in September; wage growth acceleratesCanada's economy added a net 63,800 jobs in September, more than tripling expectations, while the jobless rate stayed at 5.5%, Statistics Canada data showed on Friday. Analysts polled by Reuters had forecast a net gain of 20,000 jobs and for the unemployment rate to edge up to 5.6% from 5.5% in August. Canada's labor market, supported by strong immigration, has been resilient even as the Bank of Canada raised its key overnight rate 10 times since March 2022 to cool the economy.
Source: YahooFinanceCA - 🏆 47. / 63 Read more »

Canadian Press NewsAlert: Economy adds 64K jobs, unemployment rate holds at 5.5%OTTAWA — The Canadian economy added 64,000 jobs last month, while the unemployment rate held steady at 5.5 per cent for the third month in a row. More coming. The Canadian Press
Source: SooToday - 🏆 8. / 85 Read more »

Greg Ebel: Clean Canadian natural gas can help the world combat climate changeCanadian natural gas exports could help get countries off coal and also help reverse climate change, Enbridge CEO Greg Ebel writes. Read on.
Source: financialpost - 🏆 7. / 85 Read more »