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This is not surprising given
the recent commitment of
the Canadian Government
to increasing the number
of international students
studying in Canada, and
the policies put into place
to support this goal. In its
2014 International Education
Strategy, the Government
of Canada announced that it
would work with the provinces
and territories, Canadian
educational institutions, and
other stakeholders to double
the size of Canada’s
international student base
from 239,131 in 2011 to
more than 450,000 by 2022
(Government of Canada, 2014).
Recent data on international
students in Canada
demonstrate that the Canadian
Government has already
achieved this target well before
2022. In fact, in 2017, there
were 494,525 international
students in Canada (Canadian
Bureau for International
Education, 2018).
The increasing number
of international students
has had a positive impact
on the Canadian economy
(Kunin & Associates, 2017).
In particular, in 2015 and
2016 the total annual
expenditures of international
students, including their
visiting families and friends,
contributed $12.8 billion and
$15.5 billion to economic
activities in Canada (after
accounting for Canadian
scholarships and bursaries).
In 2015, this translated into a
$10.5 billion contribution to
Canada’s GDP and, in 2016,
a $12.8 billion contribution
to Canada’s GDP. Further,
international students’ overall
annual spending translated
Retaining International
Students in Canada Post-Graduation:
Understanding the Motivations and
Drivers of the Decision to Stay
Victoria Esses
1
, Alina Sutter
1
, Alejandro Ortiz
2
, Ning Luo
2
, Jean Cui
2
, and Lisa Deacon
3
1. Pathways to Prosperity Partnership (contact: [email protected])
2. World Education Services
3. Canadian Bureau for International Education
O
ver the last decade, the enrollment of international
students at Canadian educational institutions has been
rapidly increasing. For example, from 2010 to 2017 there
was a 119 percent increase in the number of international
students studying in Canada (Canadian Bureau for International
Education, 2018).
2
JUNE 2018
into 140,010 jobs in 2015 and
168,860 jobs in 2016. Finally,
international students’
annual spending directly and
indirectly contributed $2.3
billion in tax revenue in 2015
and $2.8 billion in 2016.
In addition to these economic
contributions of international
students, the Canadian
government’s commitment
to increasing the number of
international students has a
further, immigration-related
rationale. International
students are seen as ideal
candidates for permanent
residency due to their
prociency in English and/
or French, their Canadian
education credentials,
and their Canadian work
experience (Immigration,
Refugees and Citizenship
Canada, 2017). This view of
international students as
an ideal source of skilled
immigrants has been
supported by policy changes
made to ease international
students’ transition into
permanent residency.
These changes included,
for example, increasing
the allowable number of
hours of paid work for
international students,
increasing the length of post-
graduation work permits,
developing specic provincial
immigration programs
directed at international
students (e.g., Ontario does
not require international MA
and PhD graduates to have a
job oer to be eligible for the
Provincial Nominee Program),
allocating extra points for
international students under
Express Entry, and increasing
the proportion of former
international students invited
to apply for permanent
residency.
The ability to retain
international students as
permanent residents and
skilled workers is especially
critical for regions with
a declining labour force.
By retaining international
students, these regions can
rely on a new source of highly
skilled labour that is able to
contribute to the regions’
growth and prosperity. The
planned implementation
in the three other Atlantic
Provinces of Nova Scotia’s
“Study and Stay” program
is just an example of the
eorts directed toward
increasing retention rates
of international students
where they are most
needed. In order to promote
higher retention rates of
international students, it
is important to understand
the factors that determine
international students’
intention to stay in Canada
and apply for permanent
residency.
In this context, the goal of
this project was to address the
following questions: 1) What
are prospective international
students’ expectations
regarding their transition to
permanent resident status
in Canada? and 2) Once
in Canada, what factors
(demographic, economic,
sociocultural, academic)
predict international students’
intentions to seek permanent
residency and to work in
Canada post-graduation?
In particular, we focused on
why international students
wish to stay in Canada
post-graduation, what the
characteristics are of those
who are especially likely to
plan to apply for permanent
residency, and what economic,
socio-cultural, and academic
factors drive the intention
to apply for permanent
residency.
To answer these research
questions, we analyzed data
from two surveys: a survey
of prospective international
students prior to their arrival
in Canada (conducted by
World Education Services)
and a survey of international
students at postsecondary
institutions in Canada
(conducted by the Canadian
Bureau for International
Education).
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JUNE 2018
PROSPECTIVE
INTERNATIONAL
STUDENTS
Method
The survey of prospective
students was sent via email
to 9,000 individuals who
contacted World Education
Services for an educational
assessment (ECA) during
the period of June 2016 to
September 2017. Data for the
current survey were collected
in October to November 2017.
Responses were obtained
from 1,161 individuals, which
corresponds to a response rate
of 11.8%. International student
status was self-reported. In
total, 287 respondents were
classied as prospective
international students. The
majority of these international
students were from India,
Nigeria and Brazil, aligning
with countries indicated as
priorities for recruitment in
CBIE’s report on Canadian
institutions’ recruitment
intentions (Canadian
Bureau for International
Education, 2016). Prospective
international students were
asked about their motivations
to study in Canada and
views about transitioning to
permanent residents.
Results
The results of the survey show
that prospective international
students are highly motivated
to stay in Canada and work
here after graduation.
• A large percentage of
prospective international
students had plans to apply
for permanent residency (68%)
and to work in Canada after
graduation (65%).
• Prospective international
students were motivated
to apply for permanent
residency after graduation
for two main reasons (which
are not mutually exclusive).
First, 52% of prospective
international students plan
to apply for permanent
residency because Canada
has better job opportunities
than their home country.
Second, 59% of prospective
international students plan to
apply for permanent residency
because Canada has a better
standard of living than
their home country. These
ndings are consistent with
previous research indicating
that the source country of
international students has
an impact on international
students’ transition rates
to permanent residency (Lu
& Hou, 2015). In particular,
previous research found
that international students
from countries with a
lower GDP per capita had
higher transition rates
than international students
from countries with a
higher GDP per capita. It is
not surprising, then, that
international students who
were especially likely to
intend to apply for permanent
residency were those who saw
Canada as having better job
opportunities and a higher
standard of living than their
home country.
• Of importance, 59% of
international students who
expressed plans to apply for
5.6%
67.6%
26.8%
65.0%
35.0%
Prospective international
students’ plans to apply for
permanent residency
Prospective international
students’ plans to work in Canada
after graduation
Yes Not sure No
Work permanently in Canada
(become a permanent resident of Canada)
Not selected
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JUNE 2018
permanent residency expected
to receive institutional help
to make this transition. In
particular, they expected that
their educational institutions
would help them create
professional connections
in Canada.
INTERNATIONAL
STUDENTS IN CANADA
Method
The survey of international
students in Canada was
conducted by the Canadian
Bureau for International
Education (CBIE) in 2015.
The goal of the survey was
to assess how international
students experience their
education in Canada’s post-
secondary institutions.
In total, international
students from 35 educational
institutions of CBIE’s
member institutions
participated, including 20
universities, 11 colleges, and
4 polytechnic/institutes from
nine provinces. Of the 35
educational institutions, four
were Francophone, one was
ocially bilingual, and the
remainder were Anglophone.
Data were collected in April
and May of 2015. In total,
over 4,000 responses were
obtained. The nal sample
used in the present study
included 3424 complete
responses, with the following
countries of origin most
highly represented: China
(19.3%), India (10.8%), France
(10.7%), USA (9.3%), Brazil
(4.6%), and Nigeria (4.1%).
The survey included questions
about international students’
intention to seek permanent
resident status in Canada
(yes vs. no/not sure), and
international students’
future employment plans
(plans to work in Canada vs.
no plans to work in Canada).
The survey also included a
number of questions assessing
international students’
demographic characteristics
(e.g., region of origin),
economic characteristics
(e.g., whether they relied on
nancial support from work
income, a co-op or a paid
internship), socio-cultural
characteristics (e.g., type of
friends in Canada – at least
some Canadian friends versus
only international students
or students from their home
country), and academic
characteristics (e.g., eld of
study).
Results
The results of the survey
show that once in Canada,
international students are also
highly motivated to stay in
Canada and to work here after
graduation.
• A large percentage of
international students have
plans to apply for permanent
residency (50.6%) and to work
in Canada after graduation
(61.0%). These percentages
are slightly lower than those
reported by prospective
international students,
perhaps due to experiences
once in Canada.
International students’ plans to apply
for permanent residency
International students’ plans to work
in Canada after graduation
• To examine what
demographic, economic,
socio-cultural, and academic
factors drive international
Yes No or not sure
50.6%
Plans to work in Canada
No plans to work in Canada
61.0%
39.0%
50.6%
49.4%
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JUNE 2018
students’ intention to apply
for permanent residency
and to work in Canada after
graduation, we conducted a
series of logistic regressions.
Logistic regressions are useful
because they allow one to
estimate the odds of a group
with certain characteristics
providing response A over
response B compared to
another group. For example,
logistic regression allows
one to make statements such
as: International students
from Africa are 3.72 times
more likely to intend to apply
for permanent residency
(as opposed to not intend
to do so or not sure) than
international students from
the USA.
Intentions to apply for
permanent residency
Several variables signicantly
predicted international
students’ intentions to apply
for permanent residency.
These variables include:
Demographic variables
• Compared to international
students from the USA,
international students
from Africa were 3.72 more
likely to intend to apply for
permanent residency (p < .01)
and international students
from the Middle East and
North Africa were 2.06 times
more likely to intend to apply
for permanent residency
(p < .01).
Economic variables
• International students who
relied on nancial support
from on-/o-campus work
income, a paid internship or
a co-op were 1.25 times more
likely to intend to apply for
permanent residency than
international students who
did not receive this type of
nancial support (p < .05).
Socio-cultural variables
• International students who
reported that an important
reason for choosing to study
in Canada was the opportunity
for working and staying
in Canada were especially
likely to intend to apply for
permanent residency (odds
ratio = 4.44, p < .01).
• International students who
had Canadian students or a
mixture of Canadian students
and international students as
friends were 1.44 times more
likely to intend to apply for
permanent residency than
international students who
had only other international
students and/or students
from their home countries as
friends (p < .01).
• International students who
saw Canada as a safe place to
live were especially likely to
intend to apply for permanent
residency (odds ratio = 1.39,
p < .01).
Academic variables
• International students who
were attending a college or an
institute were 1.44 times more
likely to express the intention
to apply for permanent
residency than international
students who were attending
a university (p < .05).
• International students
pursuing a degree in
engineering were 1.34 times
more likely to intend to apply
for permanent residency
than international students
pursuing a degree in another
eld (p < .05).
• International students who
studied in the Prairies were 1.5
times more likely to intend to
apply for permanent residency
than international students in
BC (p < .05).
• International students who
had previously studied in
Canada were 1.81 times more
likely to intend to apply for
permanent residency than
international students who
had not previously studied
in Canada (p < .01).
6
JUNE 2018
Plans to work in Canada
after graduation
Several variables signicantly
predicted international
students’ future employment
plans. These variables
include:
Demographic variables
• Compared to international
students from the USA,
international students
from Africa were 2.87 times
more likely to plan to work
in Canada after graduation
(p < .01), international
students from South Asia
were 2.40 times more likely
to plan to work in Canada
after graduation (p < .01),
international students from
East Asia were 1.91 times
more likely to plan to work
in Canada after graduation
(p < .01) , and international
students from the Middle
East and North Africa were
1.66 times more likely to
plan to work in Canada after
graduation (p < .05).
Economic variables
• International students who
relied on nancial support
from on-/o-campus work
income, a paid internship
or a co-op were 1.35 times
more likely to plan to work in
Canada after graduation than
international students who did
not have this type of nancial
support (p < .01). Similarly,
international students who
relied on nancial support
from parents, relatives or
guardians were 1.35 times
more likely to plan to work in
Canada after graduation than
international students who
did not rely on this type of
nancial support (p < .05).
Socio-cultural variables
• International students who
reported that an important
reason for choosing to study
in Canada was the opportunity
for working and staying in
Canada were especially likely
to plan to work in Canada after
graduation (odds ratio = 3.64,
p < .01).
• International students who
saw Canada as a safe place to
live were especially likely to
plan to work in Canada after
graduation (odds ratio = 1.30,
p < .05).
Academic variables
• International students
pursuing a degree in
engineering were 1.6 times
more likely to plan to work in
Canada after graduation and
international students pursuing
a degree in business were 1.4
times more likely to plan to
work in Canada after graduation
than international students
pursuing a degree in another
eld (p < .01 and p < .05).
• International students who
studied in the Prairies were
1.78 times more likely to
plan to work in Canada after
graduation than international
students in BC (p < .01).
• International students
who had previously studied
in Canada were 2.07 times
more likely to plan to work in
Canada after graduation than
international students who
had not previously studied in
Canada (p < .01).
Variables that did not
predict intentions to apply
for permanent residency
or plans for employment
after graduation
As important as the variables
that did predict intentions to
apply for permanent residency
and plans for employment
after graduation are those
variables that did not show
any eects. Of interest, there
were no signicant eects
of gender, academic success,
Canada’s reputation as a
reason for choosing to study
in Canada (i.e., Canada is a
safe and tolerant country with
a good education system),
and number of actions taken
before arriving in Canada to
prepare for studying here
(e.g., planned a budget,
7
JUNE 2018
searched for accommodation,
researched the region).
Relation between plans for
employment and intention
to apply for permanent
residency in Canada
We also found a strong
association between
international students’
plans to work in Canada
after graduation and their
intentions to apply for
permanent residency, x2(1) =
1167.42, p <.001. International
students who intended to
apply for permanent residency
were especially likely to have
plans to work in Canada
after graduation. In addition,
the variables that predicted
international students’
plans to work in Canada
after graduation were very
similar to those that predicted
their intentions to apply
for permanent residency.
These variables included,
for example, international
students’ region of origin, the
importance of opportunities
for working and staying
in Canada as a reason for
choosing to study in Canada,
and the view that Canada is a
safe place to live. Of note too,
when predicting international
students’ intention to apply
for permanent residency as
well as their plans to work
in Canada after graduation,
socio-cultural and economic
factors explained much more
variance than academic
factors (after controlling for
the demographic variables).
This suggests that socio-
cultural and economic factors
are more important than
academic factors when it
comes to explaining why
some international students
intend to work and apply for
permanent residency after
graduation and others do not.
CONCLUSION
AND IMPLICATIONS
Overall, this research
indicates that a large
proportion of prospective
and current international
students plan to work in
Canada after graduation and
intend to apply for permanent
residency. While there may
be variation depending on
international students’
country of origin, some of the
reasons why international
students intend to stay in
Canada include better job
opportunities and a higher
standard of living in Canada.
The strong relation between
plans to work in Canada
and intentions to apply for
permanent residency suggest
that those who are planning
to stay will endeavour to
work, thus further
contributing to the Canadian
economy.
In order to increase the
retention of international
students, the research
suggests that eorts
should be directed toward
providing pre-arrival
information to potential
international students about
the opportunities to work
and stay in Canada. Eorts
should also be directed at the
integration of international
students during their
studies, including through
facilitating friendships with
Canadians and Canadian
work experience. It is also
important to ensure that
the environment in which
international students live
is seen as safe, contributing
to their desire to stay and
work in Canada, and become
permanents residents.
Prospective international
students seem to expect
support from their educational
institutions to secure
employment after graduation,
particularly in the form of
assisting them to establish
professional connections
in Canada. To fulll this
expectation, mentorship and
networking opportunities to
build professional connections
are crucial. Perhaps most
importantly, employment
opportunities for international
students post-graduation
are essential as part of any
strategy designed to retain
these individuals as a skilled
8
JUNE 2018
workforce in Canada long-
term. Without meaningful
work, these individuals are
likely to move to greener
pastures where their skills
will be appreciated in the
labour market.
This research is important
in revealing critical factors
underlying international
students’ intentions to stay
and work in Canada after
graduation. The surveys
are not able to address the
more long-term outcomes
of international students
in Canada (e.g., in terms
of success in achieving
employment and obtaining
permanent residency),
however, and this is the topic
to which we plan to now turn
our attention. This research
will also focus on lessons
learned and challenges that
international students have
encountered along the road
to becoming fully integrated
into Canadian society.
REFERENCES
Canadian Bureau for International Education (2016). A world of learning 2016: Canada’s performance and potential in international education.
Retrieved from http://net.cbie.ca/download/World-of-Learning-2016-EN.pdf
Canadian Bureau for International Education (2018). Facts and gures.
Retrieved from https://cbie.ca/media/facts-and-gures/
Government of Canada (2014). Canada’s international education strategy. Harnessing our knowledge advantage to drive innovation and prosperity.
Retrieved from http://international.gc.ca/global-markets-marches-mondiaux/assets/pdfs/overview-apercu-eng.pdf
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (2017). Annual report to Parliament on immigration.
Retrieved from https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/ircc/migration/ircc/english/pdf/pub/annual-report-2017.pdf
Kunin, R., & Associates (2017). Economic impact of international education in Canada – an update.
Retrieved from http://www.international.gc.ca/education/assets/pdfs/Economic_Impact_International_Education_in_Canada_2017.pdf
Lu, Y., & Hou, F. (2015). International students who become permanent residents in Canada.
Retrieved from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/75-006-x/2015001/article/14299-eng.pdf
CBIE RESEARCH IN BRIEF
Canadian Bureau for International Education
ISBN: 978-1-894129-97-8
ISSN: 2368-3333
Key title: CBIE research in brief
The views expressed in this paper are those
of the authors.
Également disponible en français
© 2018 CBIE
Canadian Bureau for International
Education
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Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5Z9
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www.cbie-bcei.ca
