Bleona Restelica
Almost half of international students who have been accepted to Canadian universities to pursue their studies are being rejected entry into the country by the visa officers.
Due to this, several colleges in Ontario are seeing a high number of students who have already been admitted being turned away, VisaGuide.World reports.
According to Star, data analyzed by it has shown that the international student system of Canada is receiving a very high number of subpar applicants due to schools trying to get as many students as possible.
Data provided by the Immigration Department reveal that between January 1, 2022, and April 30, 2023, a total of 470427 of the 866,206 or 54.3 per cent of the study permit applicants had been accepted to pursue their studies in Canada.
Of all study destinations within the country, Ontario is the top one, currently home to 1,335 learning institutions, thus attracting a high number of international students.
However, when it comes to approval rates, they are not the same, as they vary from one educational institution to another.
According to the Star, public colleges in Canada have a higher rejection rate than public universities.
Data from the Immigration Department show that of the universities located in Ontario, the University of Toronto had the highest approval rate – 90 percent.
In addition, Waterloo and McMaster also had a high approval rate, both at around 86.5 percent. They were followed by Western and Windsor with an approval rate of 90 percent, Ottawa with an approval rate of 77.6 percent, Carleton with an approval rate of 76 percent, Brock with an approval rate of 56 percent, and York with an approval rate of 66 percent.
However, despite such approval rates, experts said that study permits refusals and approvals do not reflect the quality of education that is offered by the country’s institutions.
As the Star notes, the number of people who hold study permits in Canada has tripled in the last ten years, increasing from 300,000 in 2013 to almost 900,000 in the beginning of 2024.
Regarding their contribution, data reveals that international students contribute around $22 billion to the Canadian economy through spending and tuition. Moreover, they support around 200,000 jobs in the country.
However, in the last few years, some problems have occurred, such as the housing crisis, pushing international students away from the country.