international students in Canada

Under the 2002 Immigration and Refugee Protection Act regulations, foreign students attending courses in Canada for a period of less than six months do not require a study permit.  The number of study permits issued to Asian foreign students increased 10% in 2009. China has overtaken South Korea as Canada’s top source country in recent years. South Korea experienced strong growth rates of students studying in Canada from 1999 until 2008, and China has grown steadily since 1999 . Chinese students entering Canada for studies have increased about 19%. Indian students entering Canada has grown 177% from 2005 to 2009.  In 2009, the number of Pakistani and Vietnamese students to Canada increased 22% and 19% from 2008, respectively.

Source: Based on original data from Citizenship and Immigration Canada, The Number of Student Permits Issued by Select Countries of Citizenship (In Persons) for Calendar year 2005-2009, 3 July 2010.

Notes: 1. Statistics are collected from documents issued at missions abroad.
2. The statistics reflect student authorizations issued in a given year, and not the cumulative total. Any increases are from the calendar year of 2008 to the calendar year of 2009.
3. Statistics do not include the number of short term students (who do not require a study permit) that come to Canada. There is currently no accurate method of collecting data on these short term numbers, even though in many markets, these students account for a very large percentage of students coming to Canada. For example, short term students from South Korea - who represent a large portion of our market - are simply listed as tourists when they enter Canada.
4.Information about the new Immigration and Refugee Protection Act is available at: http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/I-2.5/index.html