The minister of citizenship and immigration of Canada, Chris Alexander, stated that the country has welcomed record number of overseas students this year.
Notably, 103,999
student visas were granted from January to September in 2014, up by 11% during the same period last year in 2013 where only 93,717 visas were granted. Also, the figure represents a 26% rise for the same period in 2012 where 84,207 visas were granted.
In 2013, most of the foreign students entered Canada from countries such as the People’s Republic of China accounting 29,414 students, India with 13,758, South Korea with 7,284, France with 7,045 and the US with 4,847.
In a bid to make Canada as a top destination of choice for international students, the government has announced new rules for overseas students while maintaining Canada’s international reputation for quality education.
Alexander said that the government is glad to see Canada as a top study destination for foreign students. Foreign students contribute around $8 billion in economic activity every year. And, thousands of them will stay back in Canada with the intention to use their education and experience to work and contribute for the betterment of economy.
