Archive - International Students are Prime Candidates for Canadian Immigration
A new study recommends that Canada attract more foreign students to its educational institutions and that it put systems in place to convince them to stay in Canada upon graduation. International students with Canadian degrees have a better chance of finding jobs than internationally-trained immigrants, who must go through the foreign credential recognition process.
Being young, educated, and attuned to Canadian life, foreign students are immigrants of choice, with no settlement-integration cost and strong potential to contribute to the Canadian labour force.In December 2006 there were 157,000 foreign students in Canada, many from China, Korea, and the United States.The Canadian Bureau for International Education reports that the pool of international students in Canada could add as many as 30,000 skilled immigrants annually. They are calling on the Canadian government to create a national strategy for international students.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada's Canadian Experience Class, to be implemented in 2008, responds to the need to retain international graduates. It will allow international students with Canadian degrees to apply for Permanent Residency from within Canada, instead of having to leave after their studies end to apply from outside the country.