Good afternoon.
First let me say that it's an honour to join you today from UBC on the traditional ancestral and unceded territory of the Musqueam people. I want to further acknowledge the traditional territories from which each of you join us.
Canadians have long understood that our open, multicultural society is a major competitive differentiator and a major key to our long-term prosperity as a nation. The current moment offers an opportunity for Canada to be more competitive for international talent and to bring more economic value and more skilled immigrants to Canada. Our population is aging. These new skilled immigrants will be crucial to guaranteeing the long-term quality of life for all Canadians in our post-pandemic recovery. Other jurisdictions, such as Germany and the United Kingdom, have prioritized attracting and retaining international students. Canada needs to ensure that we aren't placing ourselves in the position where we can't compete and attract this much-needed talent.
International students are also a major contributor to Canada's research enterprise, and enrich the learning environment for all the Canadian students on our campuses. Importantly, many international students choose to stay and make Canada their home, representing a major source of highly skilled talent needed for the Canadian economy, a resource we know that Canada needs especially as we emerge from this pandemic. As many of you know, international students bring significant benefits to Canada, economically as well as socially. International students contribute more than $20 billion per year to the Canadian economy. They play a significant role in Canadian post-secondary revenue. Last year, at UBC alone, of the $650 million in undergraduate tuition revenue, more than 60% came from international undergraduate students.
It goes without saying that COVID-19 continues to have profound impacts. That is particularly true for the post-secondary sector in our ability to welcome international students and researchers. I want to thank the federal government for its extraordinary efforts to ensure that Canada continues to be a leading global centre for international education and a destination of choice for international talent. I want to particularly thank Minister Mendicino, Minister Bain, Minister Ng and the many public servants who have worked collaboratively with universities; the U15, of which I am chair; Universities Canada; and the Canadian Bureau for International Education to address new and unique pressures facing our immigration system and to create supports for international students in light of the pandemic.
In that spirit, and in recognizing the incredible challenges that face the government in operating our immigration system during a global pandemic, there are a few areas in which we can continue to make improvements together. The first is the responsibility being given to the post-secondary sector to manage and support the quarantine of students entering Canada to study. We're doing so very successfully. The second is to improve processing times for study and work permits, particularly as we gradually return to in-person instruction and research across Canada. The third is greater flexibility in the processes that reflect these unique times. The fourth is to build an even closer tie between the immigration department and universities as we work through permit processing issues and many specific challenging individual cases. The last one is to ensure that international students and researchers continue to be seen as an essential part of Canadian society as we look to such new pandemic measures as eligibility for an eventual vaccine.
I look forward to your questions and our discussions.
Thank you.