6 BIV JAN. 23-FEB. 5, 2023 NEWS International student applications are booming EDUCATION | But some international students wary of subsidizing Canadian higher education BY ALBERT VAN SANTVOORT AVANSANTVOORT@BIV.COM N ew international study p er m its for st ud ents coming to B.C. experienced t hei r slowest a n nu a l growth in 2022 since at least 2015, excluding the massive oneyear drop during 2020, when the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic brought travel and in-person studies to a standstill. But even so, applications from international students for the upcoming school year are through the roof, according to Randall Martin, executive director of the B.C. Council for International Education. “ E v e n P r i n c e G e o rge a n d places like that that often have troubles attracting or retaining international students are just booming right now,” Martin said. T he nu mber of new i nternational study permits issued for B.C. last year grew by only 0.36 per cent compared with 2021. By comparison, the next slowest growth year was in 2019, when Randall Martin is executive director of the B.C. Council for International Education | SUBMITTED permits increased by 5.5 per cent. But slowing growth in new study permits is not necessarily a sign that international interest in B.C. education is waning. Chris Bottrill, vice-president, international, at Capilano University said B.C. remains a top destination for international students. He added that many of the reasons to attend post-secondary school in Canada pre-pandemic still exist today: A safe environment, the quality of education a nd good job oppor tu n it ies among them. Bottrill’s comments are supported by the findings of an international student survey completed by the Canadian Bureau for International Education. The survey found the safeness of the country and the quality of the education as the top two reasons students chose Canada. The No. 3 factor was the country’s international reputation as an inclusive nation for immigrants. The influence of this, Bottrill says, has waned in recent years. Whatever the reason for selecting Canada – or B.C. – as an education destination, what remains consistent is the March 5-11, 2023 Golden Era Cocktail Revival Gala March 11, 2023 • 6-7pm VIPs; 7-11pm partygoers Pacific Ballroom, Fairmont Hotel Vancouver, 900 W. Georgia St. Take the grand staircase up to one of the most historic and beautiful ballrooms in Vancouver and the marquee event of Vancouver Cocktail Week: The Golden Era Cocktail Revival Gala. Raise your glass to the fall of Prohibition and enter the golden era of cocktails at an epic party that takes you on a glamorous journey through tipsy traditions. Throughout the ballroom— designed in 1939 and with more than 800 hours of hand-painted details—stations featuring local bar stars and global brand ambassadors will offer drinks representing different eras in cocktail culture past and present. Come early and enjoy our VIP hour, where you can mingle with our international and national VIP guests while enjoying passed canapés and cocktails. Following the VIP hour, cheer on the finalists in the World Class Canada bartender competition during their speed-round hour before we announce the 2023 Canadian Bartender of the Year. Then enjoy the food stations, live music and DJ, and cast your bids in the silent auction to support the BC Hospitality Foundation. The Golden Era Cocktail Revival Gala is guaranteed to be a night to remember. Note that Fairmont Hotel Vancouver will be offering special room rates for the evening. fairmont.com/hotel-vancouver TICKETS ON SALE NOW AT thealchemistmagazine.ca/vcw T H E G O L D E N E R A CO C K TA I L R E V I VA L G A L A I S S P O N S O R E D BY: Find out more about Vancouver Cocktail Week events and seminars at thealchemistmagazine.ca/vcw post-secondary sector’s need to attract international students. The business case for B.C. colleges and universities relies both culturally and economically on students from abroad. In 2023, international students can expect to pay more than four times as much in tuition as domestic students, according to Statistics Canada. And in 2018, the most recent year for which there is data, international students contributed $22.3 billion to the Canadian economy, $4.7 billion of which made its way to B.C., according to data from the Government of Canada. Beyond the high-level economic benefits they bring to B.C., international students help improve the overall educational experience for all students at post-secondary institutions. T he i ntercu ltu ra l lea rn i ng opportunities that come with a diverse student body are rewarding, said Bottrill. “International students are critical to the educational system in British Columba and post-secondary especially,” he said. It is no surprise, then, that the Canadian government has made it a priority to work with the sector to grow the international student population in Canada. Doi ng so won’t be w ithout competition – from Pacific U.S. states, Australia and New Zealand, particularly in attracting students from Asia. Australia is heavily competing with Canada for international students, said Martin. He says that the country has put a target on Canada’s back and wants back the international students Canada was able to poach when Australia closed its doors during COVID. Competition from the U.S. is less strong, Martin said, because the country lacks a unified national strategy to attract international learners. But some are wary of countries’ efforts to attract international students, and the significant amounts of tuition they pay. WeiChun Kua, an organizer with the international student group Migrant Students United at Simon Fraser University, said that while Canada remains a desirable destination for prospective students, the attractiveness of Canada fades when students arrive and are confronted by expensive tuition, expensive housing and the expensive cost of living. “One issue I think the universities need to address to really Even Prince George and places like that that often have troubles attracting or retaining international students are just booming right now [] RANDALL MARTIN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR , B.C. COUNCIL FOR INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION help international students is the post-secondary education funding model – because it’s not sustainable,” said Kua. “It’s just relying on and exploiting international students to subsidize post-secondary education in Canada overall.” Kua says that there are things that institutions could do to help mitigate the financial burden faced by incoming students, such as providing additional student housing, like Capilano University did last year. For some international students, Kua says that there’s not much they can do to deal with high and rising costs once they arrive in B.C. “It rea l ly depends on each student’s circumstances. Some people are just forced to kind of adapt, take on more jobs, figure out a way to get more money. And some people just can’t afford it anymore and they have to terminate their study program because they can’t afford to pay for tuition fees,” he said. Outside of leaving school or absorbing unexpected costs, K u a s a y s t h e re’s n o t m u c h international students can do. And even with the high level of competition B.C.’s post-secondary institutions face from their counterparts in the Asia-Pacific, it’s not easy for international students to leave one country for another. Martin said he sympathizes with the high costs of living and tuition paid by international students, but noted that Canadian tuition costs are better than those competitors abroad. He added that Ottawa subsidizes education for those who have paid into the Canadian tax system, i.e. domestic students. • Copyright of Business in Vancouver is the property of BIV Media Limited Partnership and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.
