Most Popular Canadian Schools for Latin American International Students

Early 2022 data shows international students are returning to Canada in large numbers, and several Latin American (LATAM) source countries are helping drive this early success. Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia are among the most popular LATAM source countries for Canadian schools.

In today’s ApplyInsights, we take a look at the most popular schools for students coming from Mexico, Brazil and Colombia.¹ We’ll be diving into study permit trends and taking a closer look at which Canadian post-secondary schools attracted the most international LATAM students in 2021.

Of the top 20 most popular Canadian schools that LATAM students gravitate toward, 18 are ApplyBoard partner schools. It’s an honor to get to work with these schools in recruiting students from Mexico, Brazil and Colombia!

More than half of the Mexican students in Canada studied in British Columbia in 2021. There were just under 7,300 study permits issued to Mexican students in 2021.

Let’s take a look at the top 5 schools for Mexican students:

• Cornerstone International Community College: Vancouver’s Cornerstone International Community College was the number one choice for Mexican students in 2021, with just under 400 study permits issued.
• University Canada West (UCW): Also located in Vancouver, UCW shows up in the list of the top three most popular schools for Mexican, Brazilian and Colombian students. Over 350 study permits were issued to Mexican students in 2021. UCW also remains in the top five list of the most popular universities for international students in Canada for the second year in a row in 2021.
• Greystone College of Business and Technology: Located in the heart of Toronto, Greystone College of Business and Technology has risen up as a popular Canadian school for Mexican students, with a total of 176 study permits issued in 2021, tying Greystone with Centennial College. Greystone grew its Mexican population by 198% in 2021, with an increase of 115 study permits issued from last year. In 2020, only 59 study permits were issued to Mexican students.
• Centennial College: Ontario’s oldest college, Centennial College, hosted 176 new LATAM students in 2021, tying it with Greystone College. This was a 300% increase compared to the previous year, with 132 more study permits issued.
• SELC Career College Vancouver: Also located in Vancouver, SELC Career College Vancouver has broken into the top five list of the most popular Canadian schools for Mexican students. SELC grew its Mexican student population by 133 students, with a total of 173 new study permits issued in 2021. This represented a growth of 332% from 2020 numbers, where only 40 study permits were issued to Mexican students.

In the list above, we can see that three of the top five most popular schools for Mexican students were in Vancouver, while the other two were located in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Location is a top consideration for Mexican students. Mexican students are building a larger cultural community in Vancouver, as more students gravitate toward the area over the years.

Much like Mexican students who are gravitating toward Western Canada, Brazilian students are choosing to study out west. There were just under 6,200 study permits issued to Brazilian students in 2021. Three out of five of the most popular Canadian schools for Brazilian students were located in British Columbia. With warmer weather than other Canadian regions, Vancouver and Victoria are popular choices for Brazilian students, with students establishing small communities in the city.

Let’s take a look at the top five schools in Canada for Brazilian students:

• University Canada West: UCW became the most popular Canadian school for Brazilian students in 2021. The number of new study permits issued to Brazilian students at UCW was 14 times larger than that of 2020, with nearly 270 new study permits issued in 2021. This was the largest number of study permits issued among all top five most popular Canadian schools for LATAM countries.
• Fanshawe College: London, Ontario’s Fanshawe College was next on the list, with just under 220 study permits issued to Brazilian students in 2021. This was almost four times more than 2020, representing a growth of just under 370%.
• University of Victoria: British Columbia’s University of Victoria had just over 170 study permits issued in 2021. This is an impressive increase from 2020, when just 23 Brazilian students were issued a study permit for the university.
• Toronto School of Management: In 2021, Toronto School of Management welcomed six times the number of Brazilian students compared to 2020, with 169 new study permits issued.
• Langara College: Located in Vancouver, Langara College had just over 150 new study permits issued in 2021. This was four times the number of Brazilian students in 2020.

According to our RPs, students coming from Brazil are often accompanied by their families and are seeking out affordable opportunities to study abroad. As a result, provinces like British Columbia and Alberta are popular destinations for Brazilian students, offering lower cost of tuition compared to GTA schools and opportunities for provincial pathways to PR programs.

Many students from Brazil gravitate toward Canada as their study abroad destination to take advantage of the country’s generous immigration pathways. Canada is known for its Post-Graduation Work Permit Program (PGWPP), which encourages international students to study and work in Canada. In 2021, 97.5% of international graduates who applied for permanent residency in Canada were successful.

Let’s turn to Colombia. There were just under 6,100 study permits issued to Colombian students in 2021. The Colombian international student market in Canada is dominated by college studies. Three of five of the most popular schools for Colombian students were colleges in 2021.

Below are the top five schools for Colombian students:

• International Language Academy of Canada: Located in Toronto, International Language Academy of Canada (ILAC) was the most popular Canadian school for Colombian students in 2021. As the only language school to show up in the our top 5 lists for LATAM students, ILAC saw a total of 313 new study permits issued to Colombian students in 2021. ILAC increased its Colombian student population by 48% from 2020.
• Centennial College: Based in Toronto, Centennial College was the second most popular Canadian school among Colombian students in 2021. Centennial College grew its Colombian student population by 180% compared to 2020.
• University Canada West: UCW was, once again, among the top three most popular Canadian schools. With just under 210 new study permits issued in 2021, UCW grew its Colombian student population by just over 170 students. This was five times the number of study permits issued in 2020.
• Collège Canada Inc: Collège Canada has climbed up the rankings. With just under 170 new study permits issued to Colombian students in 2021, Collège Canada saw a growth of almost 200% in new study permits issued from the previous year.
• Cégep de la Gaspésie et des Îles: Located in Québec, Cégep de la Gaspésie et des Îles saw just over 160 new study permits issued to Colombian students in 2021. This represented a growth of 187% from 2020.

Of course, the COVID-19 pandemic played a role in drastically reducing the number of Colombian students enrolling in Canadian institutions, with many Colombian students pushing their study abroad plans to the 2021/2022 academic year. Despite these challenges, we are excited about Colombia’s growth in Canada!

Top 20 Canadian Post-Secondary Schools for LATAM Students in 2021

Here’s the list of the top 20 schools in Canada for Mexican, Brazilian and Colombian students in 2021, including the study permit approval rate for each institution:

Last year, the Canadian government expanded the Student Direct Stream (SDS) eligibility to include Brazil and Colombia. Students applying to study in Canada through the SDS have a higher approval rate than non-SDS applicants. SDS allows international students from select countries to expedite the processing of their Canadian student permit, provided they meet certain criteria.

Hari Ghai, ApplyBoard’s Senior Immigration Consultant and a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC), advises that Brazilian and Colombian students and RPs familiarize themselves with SDS requirements and try to meet those requirements to increase their chances of a successful study permit application.

Looking Forward

Canadian colleges, universities and language schools are seeing increased interest from LATAM students. The application numbers we’re seeing on the ApplyBoard Platform, and conversations with our recruitment partners in the country, show that students are excited to be returning to in-person study.

We’re thrilled about the growth we are seeing in LATAM alongside the Canadian international student market. Stay tuned for next week, where we will be taking an even closer look at study permit trends in Canada from Mexico!

About the ApplyInsights Team

FOOTNOTES:

1. All data courtesy of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), except where indicated.