Source: Canada News Release via Academica | November 11, 2014
Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander last week announced that Canada is on track to welcome a record number of international students this school year. According to preliminary reports, Canada has so far issued 103,999 study permits to foreign students, an 11% increase over 2013, and a 26% increase over 2012. More than half of these students are coming from China (29,414), India (13,758), South Korea (7,284), France (7,045), and the United States (4,847). “Our government is proud that Canada continues to be a study destination of choice for international students. International students generate an estimated $8 billion in economic activity in Canada each year and thousands will remain in Canada permanently, putting their education and experience to work and contributing to economic and job growth in Canada,” said Alexander. In January, Canada released a new International Education Strategy that aims to increase the number of international students in Canada to 450,000 by 2022.