The latest Canadian study permit approval data is in, with great news for both Canadian institutions and students around the world: approval rates for many emerging markets reached new highs in 2022.1
We checked in on Canada’s diversification objectives for 2024 at the beginning of last year and at the time found that, due to the pandemic, much work remained to reach those goals. Higher student visa approval rates for many emerging markets is a great step toward increased diversification. As we head into a new year we have some important questions to answer.
What African countries saw approval rates spike in 2022? Which Asian countries maintained positive approval momentum that started in 2021? And did Canada follow through on its promise to help Ukrainian students? Today, we dive into Canadian student visa approval rates as of September 2022.2
Key Insights at a Glance
- For four of the top five African countries by total approved students, approval rates reached a seven-year high in 2022.3
- The Philippines is trending toward overtaking China as Canada’s second-largest source for international students.
- Nepal’s 66% approval rate in 2022 was 41 percentage points higher than 2019 levels.
- 99% of Ukrainian study permit applications were approved in 2022.
Top African Countries See Canadian Student Visa Approval Rate Spike
Nigeria, Algeria, Morocco, Cameroon, and Ghana represented Canada’s top five African countries by study permit approvals from January through September 2022. The charts below show that approval rates for four of these nations reached a seven-year high:
We expect Nigeria to become the next major market in the international education sector within the coming decade. As such, it’s exciting to see that the study permit approval rate for Nigerian students in 2022 built on 2021’s surge. This momentum has helped almost three times the number of Nigerian students get approved in 2022 compared to 2019.4
But Nigeria is not the only African country sending talented students abroad. Approval rates for Algeria, Cameroon, and Ghana grew impressively in 2022 compared to the previous seven years. Continued growth of African student populations is particularly important for Canada’s Francophone institutions, as Africa accounted for eight of the top 10 countries for Francophone international students in 2021.
Students from Morocco and Senegal can take advantage of Canada’s Student Direct Stream (SDS). The SDS is an expedited study permit processing program which also provides students an approval rate advantage over non-SDS applicants.
Philippines Close to Overtaking China as Canada’s Number Two Source for International Students
Approval rates for the Philippines reached a seven-year high in 2022:
69% of Filipino applicants were approved for a Canadian study permit from January to September 2022. This continued an upward trend, as the approval rate for Filipino students increased in four of the past six years.
What’s more, this upward trend in approval rates has helped the Philippines track toward overtaking China as Canada’s second-largest source country for international students. More than 17,000 Filipino students were approved for a Canadian study permit in the first nine months of 2022. This is more than triple full-year 2019, and only 600 approvals below those for Chinese students in 2022.
Look for this shift to impact Canadian colleges and universities. China is primarily a university market, but not the Philippines. Colleges accounted for 62% of all Filipino approvals in 2022. And, because many Filipino students are mature students coming to Canada with their families, K-12 accounted for another 27% of all Filipino approvals. This student population shift will likely carry onward as China continues to establish itself as a destination market. That means Canadian universities will need to build bigger footholds in new student markets, and colleges will need to ensure their capacity can match increased demand.
Nepal the Fastest-Growing Country for Canadian Student Visas
Approval rates for Nepali students have been on a three-year tear:
The majority of countries saw approval rates for a Canadian study permit decline in 2020 due to the pandemic. But not Nepal. Approval rates surged in 2020 for Nepali students, and that momentum has not slowed in the following years. While the 66% approval rate for Nepali students in 2022 is a slight dip compared to 2021, it’s still a whopping 41 percentage points higher than 2019 levels.
This huge approval rate swing has helped Nepal become Canada’s fastest-growing country for international students. The number of Nepali students approved for a Canadian study permit in the first nine months of 2022 was up nearly 500% compared to full-year 2019. This was the largest growth percentage of all source markets with over 1,000 approvals.
But the Canadian sector should expect increased competition for Nepali students moving forward. Canada benefited from Australia closing its borders to students during the pandemic. In 2022, Australia came roaring back as a top destination after reopening its borders, and Nepal is Australia’s third-largest student market. As the international education industry enters a new era of student choice, Canada will have to continue innovating what it offers students to remain competitive.
Learn more about Nepal’s emergence as a top Canadian source market.
Canada Makes Good on its Promise to Support Ukrainian Students
Canada announced a new study permit pathway to welcome those fleeing the war in Ukraine in March 2022. The data shows that the Canadian government followed through:
Over 99% of Ukrainian applicants were approved for a student visa from January to September 2022. The Canadian government’s swift action plan directly helped nearly 4,300 Ukrainian students get approved for a study permit. What’s more, 93% of these approvals were for children in K-12.
We’re inspired and heartened by seeing this support for Ukrainian students. Canada’s rapid implementation of new pathways to help these students highlights how significantly international education can aid countries facing humanitarian crises.
To help simplify the journey of students looking for safety in Canada, ApplyBoard waived application fees for Ukrainian citizens and non-Ukrainians undertaking studies in the Ukraine.
Looking Forward
2022 was filled with a bevy of positive developments in Canada’s international education sector. Approval rates for many African countries reached new highs, existing upward trends for emerging markets like the Philippines and Nepal continued, and nearly 4,000 Ukrainian children found support.
We’re excited to see how the full-year data turns out once available. In addition to what we covered today, several developed student markets such as Iran, Japan, and Hong Kong have already set new full-year highs for Canadian study permit approvals compared to the past seven years. And many Latin American countries, such as Colombia and Peru, took major leaps forward for total permit approvals.
Stay tuned to ApplyInsights, where we’ll keep you covered on all the latest international student trends!
Subscribe to ApplyInsights
Sign up for the latest insights on international education.
About the ApplyInsights Team
FOOTNOTES:
1. The terms student visa and study permit are generally used interchangeably for Canadian international students. Rather than student visas, Canada provides accepted international students with study permits, which allow those students to enroll in classes at Canadian institutions. When a student is accepted for a study permit, they are also usually provided with a visitor visa, which allows that student to enter Canada for their studies. For the purposes of this article, we’ll use the terms interchangeably.
2. Full-year data for 2022 not yet available.
3. Data courtesy of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
4. We’re comparing 2022 to 2019 rather than 2020 or 2021 because 2019 was the last full year unaffected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
