We're just beginning to look at whether or not international students stay or don't stay. A report came out last week, I believe, on international students, showing how many stay and leave, and I think about 25% to 30% would stay or were interested in staying in Canada versus the majority who want to leave. Still, that's an important share of people to potentially attract to stay in the region, especially given how many universities are in the region and the labour needs of employers.
I've had a Ph.D. student working on the issue, and I think the biggest obstacle I've seen is that the complexity of Canada's immigration system is often very daunting for university students, and they are unsure which program to apply to, whether it's the provincial programs or the over 50 options available in the federal system.
The most important thing that could be done on this front is offering better support to students to navigate the complexity of the system.