Articles
31.10.2023
Canada - an attractive option for student mobility
Breathtaking views on the Rocky Mountains are often the first thing you picture when thinking about Canada. No wonder, this land of maple leaf, attracts exchange and degree students from all over the world. Top level higher education institutions, nature and several practical issues have led many young people to choose Canadian institutions for their studies – At the moment around 800 000 international students can call Canada home and Canadian higher education institutions really act as melting pots for a wide variety of cultures and nationalities.
Canada´s popularity as a destination for student mobility has been steadily increasing
The number of international students has been rising steadily in Canada over the past decade. At the moment about 800 000 international students are taking courses in various Canadian higher education institutions around the country and the number of students has also been expected to rise with a couple thousand students every year.
What is then the secret behind Canada´s popularity? One of the reasons clearly lies in the attractiveness of the country itself: Nature and climate. Canada is very diverse when it comes to the weather and landscape in different regions, opening many possibilities outside the study hall. Many of the universities are additionally embedded within a spectacular scenery, playing a significant role in the overall study experience. Besides the location, Canadian universities have always been positioned high among the worldwide university rankings. There are a number of excellent options. Popular high-level Universities with research-intensive programs have been for instance University of Toronto, University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver, and University of Calgary. Furthermore, McGill University and University of Ottawa in the capital city of Canada have been especially popular due to their bilingual programs in both English and French. University of Alberta, located in Edmonton and University of Waterloo in Ontario are known for their strong emphasis on innovation activities.
Universities Canada is an umbrella organization for most of the Canadian Universities and supports also students by providing information in general on studying in Canada, about the offerings of various scholarships and programs as well as admission requirements. Immigration procedures are often very complex and organizations like Universities Canada are able to help with these challenges. In addition, students have to consider financial issues, living expenses and education fees that are high. Applying international students often have to be able to prove their financial capability to cover all the expenses - scholarships may be a necessity to insure the financial safety. Language proficiency tests may also be required for a non-native English or French speaker, depending on the institution.
Canada has various student exchange programs, which offer clear choices and connections for foreign students to explore Canadian educational system. The aims in many of these programs is to promote cultural exchange and life-spanning contacts between Canadian and international students. Such programs for international exchanges, are for instance “AFS Intercultural Program” and “Rotary International”. They organize exchange programs for both international and Canadian students. These programs engage students also to their community by providing living in host families or through other local community activities. Besides student exchange, there are exchange programs especially for young people: “The Canada World Youth Exchange” facilitates exchange programs for young participants that want to be involved in various cultural and community projects, including a number of volunteer projects. Learning without traditional classroom education is one of the goals. Canada has also a program called, IEC, International Experience Canada, which is a reciprocal program that allows Canadian and international youth to work and travel in each other’s countries. In 2023, nearly 90 000 international youth has been taking advantage of this program to come to Canada and totally more than 240 000 Canadians have participated in the program since 2008. Moreover, Canada has also programs for the locals, enabling “exchange experience” without leaving the country: (CMEC) Student Exchange Program by the Council of Ministers of Education allows students to spend up to a whole academic year in different Canadian provinces or territories. It helps students, already within Canada, to explore different regions and educational systems without moving abroad. These various programs have for long provided an entry for thousands of students to develop global perspective either in Canada or abroad.
Attractive destination for various countries
Besides their top-level programs and research, Canadian universities are known for their goals in inclusivity and for the friendly environment towards international students. Many higher education institutions provide orientation programs to support adjustment to the foreign country, language courses, and other types of counseling services to help in adaptation. Universities also provide a network of educational consultants, student councelors, and alumni that can bring valuable insights into the adaptation to a new life in Canada. It seems that Canada has succeeded well in supporting the international students as most of them (a case study of 14 000 students) confirmed their interest in staying in Canada after the studies. In 2022, Canada was hosting international students totally from 184 different countries.
Another reason for the high interest to stay in Canada, may lie in the good work-life balance that may seem like an attractive option for cultures that are known for their long working days and lack of holidays. Many Asian countries, including China, Vietnam, South Korea, and India are drawn by the high-quality education and post-grad working possibilities in a multicultural environment. At the moment there are for example around 320 000 Indians studying in Canada. Additionally, Canada has remained an attractive option for students from the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria and Iran. These listed countries are just some examples on the various countries that contribute to the cultural richness in Canadian community and higher education institutions. Canada's policies also support the post-graduation work possibilities of the foreign students, which naturally favors choosing Canada as the destination for studies.
Mobility between Finland and Canada
Several Finnish Higher education institutions have student mobility agreements with various Canadian higher education institutions all over the country. Despite this, there has not been any major inrush by the Finnish students to Canada. Approximately 250 Finnish students choose Canada as their destination on a yearly bases. The numbers from Canada to Finland are much lower – and not always shown in the statistics.
Canada and Finland are similar in many ways – nature, climate and high education level are facts that unite us. Moreover, there are over 144 000 Canadians who have Finnish roots. In addition to all the similarities, Finnish students are naturally drawn to Canada by its high-level education system with various, academic study programs. In Canada, Finnish students participate to both undergraduate and postgraduate programs with various topics, such as natural sciences, technology, arts and business. For Finnish people, Canada appears as a safe and culturally welcoming country with a homely feeling. Fulbright Finland Foundation has also provided attractive choices for scholarships to study in Canada.
In spring 2023, Canada and Finland ratified their Youth Mobility Agreement. This agreement allows Canadian and Finnish people, between ages 18 to 35, to travel and work in each other’s countries. The agreement belongs to the International Experience Canada (IEC) program and allows totally 12 months stay in categories: young professional, working holiday or International Co-op. Since signing the agreement with Finland, Canada now has 37 youth mobility agreements with different countries and territories.
Future Challenges
Although Canada and its higher education system has several attractive features for international students, recently the housing crisis has constantly been in the topics. Some claim that the immigrants are responsible for the shortage in housing markets and that the flow of international students to Canada, should be limited. There has been a lot of pressure for the Liberal government to solve the housing crisis, and blocking borders from international students has been a sensitive topic and under disagreement. Demands have been made for the Canadian higher education institutions to insure the availability of affordable housing for both local and international students. Canadian universities have strongly argued against the suggestion to cap the intake of international students and have concentrated on the possibilities for building new housing. Based on the recent events, the housing crisis may, however, be solved through other ways. The recent diplomatic row between Ottawa and New Delhi may potentially block the influx of thousands of Indian undergraduates to Canada if the political situation does not get solved. The near future will show how the tension between these countries will develop and whether it will have stronger impact on the student mobility situation in Canada.
Photo: Vancouver with its high-quality Universities is one of the most popular targets for international students in Canada. Picture ST, 2023
Stay in touch with Sari Tojkander, TFK-expert, Los Angeles
References:
• https://www.cmec.ca/155/Language_Learning_and_Exchange_Programs.html
• https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/study-canada.html
• https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/india-canada-spat-could-hit-international-student-flows
• https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/more-international-students-canada-wanting-residency
• https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/2023/05/canada-and-finland-sign-new-youth-mobility-agreement.html’
• https://globalnews.ca/news/9939599/housing-for-international-students-canada/
• https://www.cmec.ca/en/
• https://www.international.gc.ca/education/report-rapport/strategy-strategie/ch_3.aspx?lang=eng&pedisable=true
• https://www.educanada.ca/index.aspx?lang=eng
• https://www.universitystudy.ca/
• https://www.univcan.ca/
• https://um.fi/documents/35732/48132/finland_and_canada_northern_partners.pdf/4cf6db7e-de7c-c8ee-8fde-cbbd96b03120?t=1559996335769
• https://um.fi/documents/35732/48132/finland_and_canada_northern_partners.pdf/4cf6db7e-de7c-c8ee-8fde-cbbd96b03120?t=1559996335769
• https://www.canadim.com/news/canada-welcomes-a-record-breaking-number-international-students/