On March 10, 2022, ApplyBoard hosted the second annual Educate the World Conference. This half-day virtual conference connected leaders across Canada’s education sector with international recruitment professionals. From the opening panel discussion, filled with proactive ways for Canadian academic institutions to move forward in 2022, to the closing keynote with The Honourable Sean Fraser, PC MP, Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship, the event was filled with engaging conversation.
Read on for a few takeaways from the closing keynote, hosted by ApplyBoard Co-Founder and CEO, Martin Basiri.
Keynote Highlights
- Why labour shortages are an opportunity to harness the talents of international students
- The important reason for dual intent on study permit applications
- How the government is currently addressing the influx of international students in Canada
International Students Bolster Economic Recovery
One of the first things Minister Fraser shared was that ensuring Canada remained a destination of choice for international students is vital. The team at ApplyBoard couldn’t agree more, and we’re proud to be a part of thousands of international students’ journeys.
In a way, this keynote was a quiet testament to how studying abroad can benefit a community. Both speakers have been international students: Minister Fraser pursued a master’s degree in the Netherlands, and before Martin Basiri and his brothers, Meti and Massi Basiri, co-founded ApplyBoard, they were international students in Canada. Whether in the private or public sectors, or as innovators in government or industry, the skills learned while studying abroad helped these men become leaders in their communities.
Minister Fraser expressed confidence in Canada’s economic resiliency. He sees labour shortages as an opportunity to harness the talents of international students. “Canada’s recovery from COVID-19 means an emphasis on growth-oriented policies [and] immigration is going to help drive that growth. Bringing newcomers here to study, to work, to live is going to help drive that post-pandemic recovery.”
Supporting International Students
The Canadian government supported international students through the COVID-19 pandemic by:
- Introducing two-stage study permit processing
- Making changes to the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program (PGWPP)
- Lifting the 20-hour weekly limit for off-campus part time jobs in essential sectors
“We’re going to continue to do everything we can to support international students,” Minister Fraser said, “because we believe in the contribution they make to our communities, and to our economy, right across Canada.”
Balancing Post-Graduation Possibilities
Supporting international students is a win-win-win situation for the community, local businesses, and students. Basiri praised the energy and innovative natures of international students, and highlighted the importance of post-graduation work programs.
Post-graduation work is part of the attraction for international students studying in Canada. However, when students draft their visa applications, they are sometimes puzzled by the question around dual intent—whether they should indicate if they intend to stay in Canada after graduation.
“This causes confusion,” Basiri said, “not only for the students but for the sector.”
Minister Fraser shared why this question persists:
There is an important reason why we want to have [a] mechanism to make sure that the reason for coming under a study permit is to study. There are hundreds of thousands of people who are approved each year to study in Canada. It was 300,000 last year, and I see that number growing. To put that into perspective, last year we resettled the most [people] on record at 405,000.
If we did away with the requirement that there’s an intent to go home at the end of your temporary stay…[the Canadian Government] wouldn’t have space to resettle anyone else through economic or humanitarian streams.
But, he continued, “the good news is there’s a mandate commitment that requires me to establish pathways to permanent residency for two groups of people: temporary foreign workers and international students.” Policy work is underway, and Minister Fraser is excited to move forward. “As soon as we have a solution that’s ready to implement, we want to create a permanent pathway for international students to become permanent residents.”
Building Trust
As more students study abroad, the importance of trust between students, educators, and governments grows.
The conversation touched on how, in other countries, colleges and universities screen students’ documents—and take responsibility for discovering fraud. It’s a piece of the puzzle that Basiri is hopeful the education sector and educational technology companies can help with. “I’m amazed,” he said, “by the number of people in this sector who want to do good, serve the students, and help solve problems.”
Minister Fraser shared how the government is addressing the influx of international students:
- Digitization of systems can be supported by the education and tech sectors. New application, processing, and update processes will save everyone time.
- Resources. 500 new federal employees were hired to process more cases. Over 100,000 permanent residency approvals have already been issued in January and February 2022.
- The Canadian government has invested C$85 million into work permits, study permits, temporary residency visas, PR cards, and proof of citizenship. By adding these resources, the government expects a return to the pre-pandemic service standard.
- Increase immigration levels to make more spaces for newcomers.
Addressing Challenges
Basiri asked about long processing times, and lower visa acceptance rates for students from specific regions. He asked if there were plans to address these concerns, and how other sectors can help.
Minister Fraser welcomed this solutions-based approach during the Educate the World conference, and said that “[when] I worked at a university campus in Johannesburg, some of the most brilliant people I’ve ever met were walking those hallways… When we have an approval rate that’s one-third that of other countries, we’re missing out on talent. Talent is what’s going to drive the knowledge economy of the next century. If we miss out, we’ll be a step behind.”
One way forward is to continue building partnerships with institutions in the students’ home countries to protect against fraud. The government has seen recent approval rate improvements thanks to the Student Direct Stream, a program where the government partners with financial institutions to verify financial statements.
It’s undeniable that international students help to build local communities and economies. Minister Fraser further supports those who wish to call Canada home:
“Our message to students and international graduates is simple: we don’t just want you to study here. We’re hoping to create pathways that allow you to stay here and make a lasting contribution beyond your academic career.”
