Canada is one of the most famous and go-to study destinations for international students. In 2022, it recorded a 30% year-over-year increase and a record-high enrolment of over 800,000 international students.

Within that larger context of rapid growth, there are now multiple initiatives to reinforce and bolster policies, programmes, and aid for international students in Canada. The latest instance is a newly publicized programme package and service standards from Colleges Ontario.

Colleges Ontario is the leading body symbolizing the province’s 24 public institutes. 23 members have already signed on to a recent Standards of Practice document issued on 14 March 2023.

Under those measures, each signatory college commits to:

• Confirming that marketing to international students is correct and transparent;


• Demanding that international agents depicting their college have achieved a sector-endorsed agent training programme;


• Addressing its connections with international education agents and other associates in the marketing and admissions procedure to help honest business approaches that are in the best interests of international students;


• Assuring that details on services, facilities, and supports are readily open to students, both before and after coming; and


• Delivering targeted service in order to help international students adapt to life and study in Canada.

President & CEO of Colleges Ontario, Linda Franklin, stated that every capable student deserves an excellent post-secondary education. These newly introduced standards will help assure international students can thrive in their programmes.

The new criteria framework for Colleges Ontario constructs on similar initiatives for other essential destinations, including The London Statement, Australia’s Agent Code of Ethics, Australia’s National Code of Practice for Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students, New Zealand’s Pastoral Care of Tertiary and International Learners Code of Practice, and the American Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education’s Standards for New Student Orientation.

The intro to the Colleges Ontario standards summarizes that this document builds on the continuous strengthening of programmes and supports for all students by setting up a common set of minimum norms for international student activity. The standards construct on current approaches and the legislative and policy framework and quality assurance mechanisms that direct all college activities. These standards aim to support the well-being of international students to improve their opportunities for academic and personal success.