Message from Minister of International Trade Diversification

With a Budget 2019 allocation of $147.9 million over five years followed by $8 million per year of ongoing funding, our new International Education Strategy will, in collaboration with the provinces, territories, associations and institutions:

Encourage Canadian students to gain new skills through study and work abroad opportunities in key global markets, especially Asia;
Diversify the countries from which international students come to Canada, as well as their fields, levels of study, and location of study within Canada; and
Increase support for Canadian education sector institutions to help grow their export services and explore new opportunities abroad.

Our new International Education Strategy ensures that Canada will remain among the world’s top destinations for learning. This is essential in order for our schools, students and researchers to continue to expand their connections abroad, and to ensure Canadian students benefit from the world of learning beyond our borders.

The Honourable James Gordon Carr
Minister of International Trade Diversification

Message from Minister of Employment, Workforce Development & Labour

The IES includes a five-year Outbound Student Mobility Pilot program which will help post-secondary students with the costs of study or work abroad. The program also focuses on supporting under-represented students (e.g. Indigenous students, students from less privileged backgrounds, students with disabilities) to develop the skills they need to succeed in an increasingly globalized and changing economy.

The Honourable Patricia A. Hajdu
Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour

Greetings from Minister of Immigration, Refugees & Citizenship

In 2018, more than 721,000 international students studied in Canada, sparking new ideas, strengthening innovation and building people-to-people ties that are crucial to international trade and the global economy. As most international students are young, have Canadian educational qualifications and in-demand labour skills, and are proficient in one of our official languages, they are often ideal candidates for permanent residency. In fact, nearly 54,000 former students became permanent residents in Canada in 2018.

The Honourable Ahmed Hussen, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

Building on success, driving prosperity

International education makes a large and growing contribution to Canada’s prosperity. International students in Canada spent an estimated $21.6 billion on tuition, accommodation and other expenses in 2018, and sustained close to 170,000 jobs for Canadians in 2016.

Educational expenditures by international students have a greater impact on Canada’s economy than exports of auto parts, lumber or aircraft. Between 2014 and 2018, the number of international students in Canada increased by 68%.

Read the full news release here:

Canada’s International Education Strategy