Canada breaks all-time record, by welcoming 450,000 students in 2021

Close to 450,000 new study permits were issued and took effect in 2021, a record-breaking figure that surpassed the previous all-time record set in 2019. Indeed, the number of international students choosing to study in Canada has increased phenomenally! Before the pandemic, Canada could only welcome 400,000 new international students who arrived on a permit to study in Canada. In 2020 the number of international students came down to just over 255,000. In 2021 the total number of international students on the Canada study permit was doubled compared to 2015. A monthly release of data by IRCC reveals the count of new study permits that bring international students to Canada. The study permit is, in fact, taken by both new students coming to Canada and foreign nationals already residing in Canada. Between July and August 2021, the most significant number of new Canada study permits took effect, which came to over 200,000 in total. This was right before the academic years 2021-22 started. IRCC’s annual year-end data posting also reveals a lot of the student permit statistics in Canada. It comes at around Q1 of each new calendar year. The data serves as a snapshot of all individuals holding a valid Canada study permit on December 31st of the previous year. The rise in the number of new Canada study permits shows that Canada’s population of international students reached back to almost the pre-pandemic level. As of December 31, 2021, Canada welcomed close to 622,000 international students. Canada’s international student population was close to 640,000 in 2019 prior to the pandemic. Then it reduced to 530,000 in 2020. *Know your eligibility to Canada, through Y-Axis Canada Immigration Points Calculator. The travel restrictions around the COVID-19 pandemic that existed till October 2020 caused a big fall in the international student population in Canada. In October 2020, as the restrictions started to ease, a record-breaking level of new international students arrived in Canada, as can be seen in last year’s statistics. The easing of PGWP rules also contributed to the recovery of educational migration. Before the pandemic, IRCC had not allowed distance learning to get counted towards eligibility for PGWP. However, in the COVID time, this policy was temporarily relaxed until August 31, 2022. Due to this, those who wanted to go ahead with their plans to study in Canada amid the pandemic were encouraged and enabled to do so.

What motivates international students to study in Canada?

Apart from the opportunity to get permanent residence, international students are attracted by Canada’s high-quality education, safety, and multicultural atmosphere, among other factors. International students also find studying in Canada more affordable compared to other countries like the USA, the UK, and Australia. Another major benefit international students find in studying in Canada is that they can work during their studies. This enables them to find financial support as well as garner more Canadian work experience. The following are the top 10 countries from which international students arrive to study in Canada (as of December 31, 2021):  

Country	No. of students
India	217,410
China	105,265
France	26,630
Iran	16,900
Vietnam	16,285
South Korea	15,805
The Philippines	15,545
The United States	14,325
Nigeria	13,745
Mexico	11,550

  If you are willing to study in Canada, talk to Y-Axis, the leading immigration and career consultant in the UAE. If you found this blog engaging, you may also like: Canada PR visa for international students: How to obtain it through PNP