The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has recently released a data highlighting the record year of growth for Canadian institutions and schools. As per the IRCC reports, a total of 807,750 foreign students were in Canada with active study permits (study visas) till the duration of Dec 31, 2022. Whereas, the year prior, these numbers were just over 617,000 which represents an extraordinary growth rate of 31% year-over-year.

This percentage of enrolment is also 27% higher than the pre-COVID numbers. It reflects the overall growth of 43% over the duration of previous 05 years and around 170% over the last decade.

As in 2021, India, undoubtedly, has maintained the status of the biggest sending market for Canadian educators. The number of Indian students were just under 320,000 at the end of December 2022 with active study permits. This showcases the year-over-year growth of just over 47%. Indian students, by the end of 2022, accounted for around 40% of foreign students in Canada.

On the other hand, China, which was the leading sending market for decades, now accounts for around 12.5% roughly of Canada’s foreign enrolment. As of Dec 31, 2022, a total of 100,075 Chinese students were in Canada with active study permits reflecting a -4.3% decline from 2021 levels.

IRCC, while reporting on study permit processing which remains a significant issue, explains, "Canada is on pace to set a new record this year. As of [30 November 2022], IRCC had processed over 670,000 study permits, compared to more than 500,000 during the same time period last year".

Other than India, the list of top sending markets include Philippines (+112.19%), Hong Kong (+72.60%), Nigeria (+59.85%), and Colombia (+54.34%). There are other countries which have shown notable growth markets such as Nepal (with 7,745 students for end of 2022); Algeria (7,510); Ukraine (7,150); Sri Lanka (5,205); Cameroon (4,075); and Peru (4,025).

This noteworthy growth for 2022 represents a record level of foreign enrolments in Canada that places the country straightforwardly among the top study destinations across the world.

Source: monitor.icef.com