How Indian Students Are Changing Canada’s Educational Demographics

International students are changing the demographics of education in Canada, with Indian international students overwhelmingly leading the charge.

Discover your options for studying in Canada

According to Statistics Canada’s September 12 report, demand for post-college degree (PCC) programs (degrees that generally require another form of post-secondary education first to be eligible) has exploded in popularity in Canada, from 6 % of all graduates in 2014 to over 13% of all university graduates in 2019.

Although these PCCs are popular for the career-specific training they can offer students, by far the main explanation for the increase in popularity is the correlated increase in the number of international students attending the colleges. International students accounted for 67% of PCC graduates in 2019, and of these, Indian international students accounted for 53% of this group.

This means that out of the 33,200 degrees with a PCC that occurred in 2019, more than 17,700 of them were for international Indian students. This is a unique phenomenon, as for most other educational programs, Indian students represent a minority within the total population of graduates in Canada.

Immigration results for these students

What results did these international students face? Overall, 80% of those who obtained a PCC in 2015 had obtained permanent residency (PR) within 5 years of graduation. International students often consider immigration when choosing their educational path; this can be seen by the comparative percentages of people in a master’s program (71%), a non-postgraduate college certificate/diploma (69%) and with a bachelor’s degree (50%) who graduated in 2015 and obtained a PR .

Among those who graduated with PR, Indian students accounted on average for more than 80% of all applicants in these four educational streams, with the highest proportion being those who graduated with a PCC (85%) . International students from other countries achieved PR at lower percentages than Indian students, across all programs.

Salaries and professional results of these students

According to Statistics Canada, international students who obtained a PCC in 2015 earned $44,000 in 2019. This total was more in line with the earnings of those who obtained a bachelor’s degree in 2015 ($47,000), and more than those with a non-postgraduate college. certificate or diploma ($38,000).

The Benefits of a Canadian Education

Studying in Canada, especially with the aim of finding work and/or immigrating to the country afterwards, can be an extremely beneficial decision. Not only does a Canadian degree or credential (from a Canadian designated learning institution) carry valuable skills and provide an internationally recognized quality of education (which, in turn, can greatly help try to acquire a well-paid job in the Canadian market); but international students in Canada can work part-time while studying (thus having a way to take care of themselves). Studying in Canada is also a very effective way to improve your Express Entry Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score; the primary way federal skilled immigration applicants will be assessed by the Canadian government.

Canadian international students have multiple immigration pathways available to them and (as evidenced by the data in this report) can succeed not only in the Canadian labor market, but also in their PR offerings.

Discover your options for studying in Canada

© CIC News All rights reserved. Visit CanadaVisa.com to discover your options for immigrating to Canada.