International students are returning to Canada in large numbers. And as Canada reports record-high immigration targets and offers PGWP extensions to current students, the stage is set for Canada to welcome more international students in 2022 than ever before.
This raises the question, where are all these students headed? Recently released data from the IRCC provides us with destination information that goes beyond the provincial level, uncovering the specific metropolitan areas students move to after being approved for a study permit.1
Today, we’re mapping out the most popular metro areas among international students in Canada, shining a spotlight on how the distribution of students has evolved over time, and flagging exciting trends around where students from emerging markets choose to study.
Key Insights at a Glance
- The market share of students living outside of Toronto, Vancouver, and Montréal increased from 58% in 2016 to 65% in 2021.
- Kitchener, Ontario, was the second-fastest-growing metro area in Canada over the past five years for international students, jumping from the 17th spot on the 2016 metro area rankings to the fifth position in 2021.
- Six of the top 10 most popular metro areas among Filipino students last year are located in British Columbia or Alberta.
The Growth of Emerging Metro Areas
While the breakdown of students in many metro areas is representative of Canada’s international student population, looking at how the popularity of these areas has shifted over time can help us understand the trends shaping the landscape of Canadian international education.
Let’s take a look at where students chose to live and study last year, compared to 2016. The following interactive map tracks the distribution of new international students across Canada in 2016 and 2021. Hovering over each bubble will show how many new international students came to that metro area to study in the given year.
When we toggle between 2016 and 2021, one thing is clear: the number of students in smaller Canadian metro areas is growing. From 2016 to 2021, the number of new students living in Toronto increased by 95%. In Vancouver, it increased by 79%. Both of these numbers fell well below the overall national growth rate of 180% during that time period.
Although the convenience, entertainment, and multiculturalism of larger metropolitan areas still appeal to students, factors such as availability of housing and cost of living have taken priority with prospective international students.
The savings associated with living in smaller metropolitan areas incentivizes many students to apply to schools based there. The table below breaks down the top 10 fastest-growing metro areas from 2016 to 2021:
Among this list, we’re seeing Mississauga and Scarborough, both of which offer more affordable housing options than Toronto, while still being located right next door.
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, was the fastest-growing metro area in Canada from 2016 to 2021, welcoming almost nine times the number of students in 2021 as it did five years previously.
Sault Ste. Marie’s incredible growth is driven by its post-secondary institutions, Algoma University and Sault College, both of which are ApplyBoard partner schools.
The growth of Kitchener, Ontario, has also been substantial, with the city hosting over 5.5 times the number of students in 2021 as it did in 2016. Kitchener has a reputation for being one of the biggest tech hubs in Canada. It is also home to Conestoga College, the most popular destination for international students in Canada.
Every other name on this list is a relatively small town which offers a very different living experience from that of Toronto or Vancouver. Sarnia, Ontario; Trois-Rivières, Québec; Moncton, New Brunswick; and Sydney, Nova Scotia, have all tripled the number of annual students they welcomed in 2016, and are projected to keep growing.
This is excellent news for schools based in these areas, which are the key drivers behind this growth. But more broadly, schools in smaller Canadian metro areas should view this as a prime recruitment opportunity. International students are exploring their options across the entire country in 2021, looking far beyond the most populated cities.
Most Popular Metro Areas in Canada
Since 2016, the market share of students living in medium and small metro areas is steadily increasing.
In 2021, six of the top 10 most popular metropolitan areas were located in Ontario, while cities in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, and Quebec rounded out the top 10. In nine of these metro areas, India was the biggest source market. The only exception was Montréal, where the 6,500 students from France claimed the top spot among Montréal’s source market rankings.
If we return to the map of Canada’s most popular metro areas among international students, it becomes clear that existing cultural communities play a large role in determining where students want to live.
French students favouring Montreal, Japanese students targeting Vancouver, and Filipino students settling in Alberta all share a common denominator—students who are looking to work and live in Canada following graduation want to do so in close proximity to their family and fellow citizens, in a place that embodies aspects of their home culture.
Institutions based in metropolitan areas with established communities of certain nationalities should advertise that during international recruitment. A Filipino student is much more likely to look favourably upon the University of Manitoba if they know that Winnipeg is home to one of the largest Filipino communities in Canada.
Checking in on Growing Source Markets
Smaller, growing source markets will shape what the future distribution of international students in Canada looks like. Let’s take a closer look at some of the movement trends we’re seeing among countries that are already making a big imprint on international education in Canada.
One of the biggest stories of pandemic-era international education in Canada has been the Philippines. Two and a half times the number of Filipino students issued study permits in 2019 came to Canada in 2021. That made the Philippines the number four source country for Canadian schools in 2021, up from number 10 in 2019.
Although Toronto attracted the most Filipino students of any Canadian metro area in 2021, communities in Western Canada are growing in popularity at a much faster rate.
Six of the top 10 most popular metro areas among Filipino students last year were in British Columbia or Alberta. Calgary is a city experiencing rapid Filipino growth, as the number of first-year Filipino students in Alberta’s largest city more than tripled from 2019 to 2021. 14% of study permits issued to Calgary-based students in 2021 went to Filipinos. This was by far the highest market share of first-year Filipino students in any Canadian city.
Nigeria experienced just a 24% growth in study permits issued to students between 2016 and 2019. However, the number of Nigerian students coming to Canada in the past two years has more than doubled. Nigerian students are spread out across the whole of Canada. Unlike Filipinos, Nigerian students aren’t all flocking to a select few places.
Just 13% of Nigerian new students came to Toronto last year, the number one destination among Nigerian students in 2021. For context, 19% of all new study permits we issued to students in Toronto. From St, John’s, Newfoundland, to Victoria, British Columbia, Nigerian students can be found all over Canada. Over 1% of first-year Nigerian students can be found in 30 different Canadian metropolitan areas, making Nigeria the most widely distributed group of students in Canada.2
See why Nigeria might be the next big market for international students.
Looking Forward
There will always be international students who want to study and live in the largest cities in Canada. But as Canada prepares to welcome record numbers of international students, all of the other metro areas will play a key role in supporting that growth.
The recent growth of metro areas such as Kitchener, Windsor, Moncton, and many others is a strong indication that Canada is well equipped to handle this wave of international students.
For schools all across the country, this is exciting news. For institutions looking to expand their international recruitment efforts and capitalize on these trends, here are some of our recommendations:
- During the recruitment process, schools based in metro areas with established cultural communities should leverage this information when speaking with students of the same nationality.
- Schools in British Columbia and Alberta should ramp up recruitment efforts in the Philippines as it becomes one of Canada’s premier source markets.
- Institutions should be mindful of the source markets that are paying particular attention to their metro areas as these students are prime candidates for recruitment.
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FOOTNOTES:
1. All data courtesy of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), unless otherwise stated.
2. Among source countries with at least 1,000 study permits issued in 2021.
