Colombian student mobility is on the rise. The total number of Colombian students pursuing tertiary studies overseas surpassed 57,000 in 2023.1
The mobility of Colombian students sets the stage for significant diversification opportunities for English-speaking destination countries. As we highlighted in our 2024 trends report, diversity is more important than ever for these destinations, as elevated geopolitical tensions increase the risk of downturns in dominant source countries.
Today, we’re diving into the state of the Colombian student population in Australia, Canada, and the United States.2 We highlight why Colombian mobility is surging, delve into what’s driving growth in each destination country, and more. Read on to learn how English-speaking destination countries can strengthen their Colombian student corridors.
Key Insights at a Glance
- Colombians aged 18 to 20 have “very low” English proficiency.3
- From January to October 2023, more than 16,200 Colombians were granted an Australian student visa.4 This is a new record high.
- From January 2022 to September 2023, colleges accounted for 41% of student visas issued to Colombian students in Canada.5 This was an 11 percentage point growth over 2019.
- The US issued 58% more F-1 visas to Colombian students in fiscal year 2022 than in the previous fiscal year.6
What Impacts Colombian Student Mobility
Colombian students are highly motivated to study abroad, particularly since the pandemic. And nearly 40% of the Colombian population is under 25 years old.7 This demographic makes Colombia a key country for destination markets to build strong student corridors with, as many destinations have aging populations and need to train skilled workers to replace soon-to-be retirees.
One of the biggest barriers to developing those corridors? English proficiency. EF Education First has rated the English proficiency of Colombians aged 18 to 20 “very low” since 2015. This demographic scores significantly lower than Colombians aged 21 to 40, who have trended toward the “moderate” level since 2019.8 In fact, as a whole, Latin America had the largest age-related proficiency gap in the world in 2022, with workplaces driving English proficiency rather than schools.9
The proficiency gap is a symptom of inequality. Only individuals with economic means attend bilingual schools. And Colombia’s economic outlook is complex. The country’s economy is forecasted to grow 1.5% in 2024, with inflation expected to trend downward throughout the year.10 And from 2002 to 2020, the percentage of the Colombian population in the middle class leapt from 16% to 31%.11
But these positive developments don’t reach all Colombians. In 2022, the overall poverty level declined in the country, but the proportion of people living in extreme poverty rose.12 This discrepancy highlights a growing privilege divide that can hinder mobility. For example, such inequality creates English-learning accessibility issues, particularly within rural populations.13
The wealth discrepancy in Colombia adds a second major mobility barrier for students: cost. The Colombian peso fell nearly 21% relative to the US dollar in 2022.14 As a result, prospective students relying on personal savings to fund their studies will face tighter budgets within their chosen destination market.
Australia Makes Headway in Solving English Proficiency Barrier
Australia launched the Study Australia Experience platform at the beginning of 2022.15 The platform targets Latin American recruitment by translating important information about the education journey in Australia into Spanish and Portuguese. This platform appears to already be paying dividends:
Australia granted more than 16,000 student visas to Colombians in 2022. That was more than double the amount in 2019. And 2023 has already set another record high: over 16,200 Colombians have been granted an Australian student visa through October. We should note, however, that pandemic-related deferrals likely continued to boost the number of visas granted this year. It’s possible that 2024 may see some slowdown as those deferrals taper off.
This positive momentum cannot be attributed solely to the launch of the Study Australia Experience platform. Nevertheless, as we highlighted in this year’s Trends Report, the innovative platform helps identify and solve a key barrier to entry for LATAM students.
This is especially crucial as Colombian students generally study English-learning programs in Australia. In fact, Australia’s English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS) sector relies on Colombian recruitment. Colombian students accounted for 31% of all ELICOS visas in 2022 and 2023. Over this period, 94% of student visas granted to Colombians were for ELICOS studies.
Australia is revamping its English language requirements for international students and graduates. Starting early next year, ELICOS students must achieve an IELTS score of at least 5.0, up from 4.5, while the required score for student visas and temporary graduate visas will also increase by half a point.16
Where in Australia Do Colombian Students Study?
Decentralization is becoming as critical as diversity to a destination’s international education sector. Decentralization of where students choose to study can help governments and infrastructure better accommodate those students. The table below shows where Colombian students choose to study in Australia:
More Colombian students are studying in Victoria since the pandemic. In 2019, Victoria accounted for 18% of student visas granted to Colombians. But through September 2023, this proportion is up 10 percentage points. This shift has resulted in Victoria surpassing Queensland as the number two Australian destination for Colombian students.
The number of student visas granted to Colombians grew in every state, except for Tasmania, by at least 45% in 2022 over 2019. Most are on pace to set new highs in 2023.
Colombian Students Pursuing All Study Levels in Canada
Like Australia, the number of Colombian students has been increasing since the pandemic:
The Canadian government issued 8,200 student visas to Colombians in 2022. And 2023 is poised to top that record high, with 7,300 Colombians issued a study permit through September. In fact, during the first nine months of 2023, Canada already issued more than double the number of student visas to Colombians than in full-year 2019.
What are these students studying in Canada? Some student populations gravitate toward certain study levels. For instance, 62% of new Canadian study permit approvals for Filipino students in 2022 were at the college level. As the graphic below shows, Colombian students gravitate toward all Canadian study levels:
Since the pandemic, colleges have attracted a larger proportion of Colombian students. Colleges accounted for 41% of study permits issued to Colombian students in 2022 and 2023, up 11 percentage points over 2019. But other study levels are also well subscribed, with K-12 and ESL/FSL both above 20% and university at 10%.
As of September, the number of student visas issued to Colombian students at the college level was up 38% over full-year 2021. K-12 was up 77% and ESL/FSL up 8% over this period, while the university level is poised to reach a record high by the end of the year. This means that expanding the Colombian student corridor will help not only diversify Canada’s international student population by nationality, but also fill seats across all study levels in the country.
Colombia replaced Japan as Canada’s top student population for short-term K-12 enrollments in 2023.17
What’s Stopping Colombians From Coming to Canada?
As the chart below shows, Colombian students have a relatively high and stable approval rate for study permits, sitting at 78% in 2023 as of September:
After a slight dip during the COVID-19 pandemic and post-pandemic recovery, the approval rate for Colombian students returned to pre-pandemic levels in 2023. What are the most common refusal reasons that Colombians receive?
In 2021 and 2022, over 66% of refusals to Colombian prospective students cited, in part, inconsistent purpose—meaning IRCC was not convinced that the purpose of the applicant’s visit was to study.18 Keeping in mind that English proficiency is a challenge for many younger Colombians, these prospective students may benefit from stronger counseling and guidance with drafting their purpose of study.
Additionally, 36% of Colombian refusals cited, in part, insufficient finances. While this percentage does not seem high, it’s important to keep in mind that students who know or believe they don’t have the financial resources to study abroad will often defer applying. As a result, this refusal percentage does not fully represent the price sensitivity of prospective students, particularly for a country experiencing currency devaluation like Colombia.
86% of respondents to ApplyBoard’s 2023 Recruitment Partner Pulse Survey said that the cost of studying was a priority for prospective students.
US F-1 Student Visas Issued to Colombians Skyrocket Post-Pandemic
The US issued over 7,000 F-1 visas to Colombian students in fiscal year 2022. Fiscal year 2022 was an impressive 58% growth over 2021:19
This chart shows the data from 2013 because that fiscal year began a significant downward trend that lasted until 2018. This shift predates the general decline of international student sentiment about studying in the US that began in 2016, in part the result of divisive electoral rhetoric.
It’s difficult to pinpoint one reason for the Colombian downward trend here. One possible factor is the Colombian government’s re-engagement with the Colombian diaspora in the US—such as a 2012 policy that created new customs, tax exemptions, and other financial incentives to encourage Colombians living in the US to return.20 These efforts to facilitate return migration may have led to fewer Colombians feeling compelled to study in the US in the first place. Further supporting this possibility is that F-1 visa issuances began rising again in 2019. This rebound coincided with increased political instability that Colombia experienced after its 2018 election.21
However, the Colombian student population grew in both Australia and Canada while it was declining in the US. This may suggest that the student corridor to the US is more sensitive to internal Colombian politics than corridors to other English destinations.
Nearly 3,000 Colombian students were enrolled in Intensive English Programs (IEP) in 2022, accounting for 4.6% of all IEP students that year.22
Moving Forward
The rise of Colombian mobility is an exciting trend in the international education sector. The large percentage of Colombians who are under 25 makes Colombia one of the top Latin American countries that English destinations are hoping to build stronger student corridors with. The Colombian student population will be important to ensuring diversification and decentralization in these destinations.
But there’s still much work that could be done to bolster those corridors. English proficiency remains a significant barrier to entry for younger Colombians. First and foremost for institutions looking to build their Colombian enrollment, we recommend offering more integrated English learning programs with curriculum. Providing more language pathway resources is crucial to meeting the needs of these students. And because the age-related proficiency gap exists throughout Latin America, investments toward bolstering these resources will help students from a multitude of source countries.
Institutions could also opt to target more recruitment of older students, since they typically have higher English proficiency skills than those aged 18 to 20. But this strategy is not without challenges. In the past, the Canadian student visa approval rate for older students has been lower than that for younger students. So while these students may generally need fewer language learning resources to succeed, they may also be expected to provide proof of funding that’s more reflective of their age bracket.
We also encourage institutions to lobby their governments to replicate the successful launch of the Study Australia Experience platform. A platform that translates into Spanish important information about applications, scholarships, and more will enable destinations to better compete with not only each other but also non-Anglophone markets.
Finally, institutions should ensure resources for available housing, job opportunities, and mental health supports are widely promoted and accessible. With the devaluation of Colombia’s currency over the past few years, incoming Colombian students who rely on their savings to fund their education may especially feel cost-of-living stresses. Supporting these students outside of the classroom is imperative to ensuring their success within the classroom.
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FOOTNOTES:
1. Data courtesy of UNESCO.
2. We are omitting an analysis of the UK in this article. The UK issued fewer than 700 student visas to Colombian main applicants in 2021 and fewer than 600 in 2022.
3. EF Education First, Colombia. November 2023.
4. All Australian student visa data used in this article is sourced from the Australian Department of Home Affairs (ADHA). Data includes subclass 500 and subclass 570 to 576 visas granted to primary applicants located outside Australia only.
5. All Canadian data courtesy of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). New study permits only. 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.
6. US student visa data courtesy of the U.S. Department of State. US government fiscal years run from October of the previous year to September of the given year.
7. U.S. Department of Commerce, Colombia – Country Commercial Guide. November 2022.
8. EF Education First, Colombia. November 2023.
9. EF Education First, English Proficiency Index. 2022.
10. BBVA Research, Colombia Economic Outlook. October 2023. October 2023.
11. Site Selection Magazine, 50 Million Reasons. September 2020.
12. Reuters, Colombia poverty fell in 2022, extreme poverty rose slightly, government says. September 2023.
13. Freely Magazine, English, Colombia’s Double Edged Sword. October 2019.
14. Nasdaq, Colombian peso fell 20.9% during 2022. December 2022.
15. Mirage News, Study Australia Experience – LATAM education project update. April 2022.
16. The PIE News, New “Genuine Student Test” and graduate visa revamp: Australia’s Migration Review. December 2023.
17. ICEF, International enrolment in Canadian K-12 recovered to more than 80% of pre-pandemic levels in 2022/23. November 2023.
18. Note that Canadian immigration officials may cite any number of reasons for refusing a study permit, and frequently cite more than one reason for a given application.
19. US government fiscal years run from October of the previous year to September of the given year. Fiscal year 2023 data not yet available.
20. Migration Policy Institute, The Colombian Diaspora in the United States. May 2015.
21. Council on Foreign Relations, Colombia Tries a Transformative Left Turn. February 2023.
22. IIE, Leading Places of Origin of Intensive English Program Students 2000-2022. 2023.
