It's great to see you as well.
Madam Chair, distinguished members, thank you for the opportunity to be here today to speak with you about the university sector in the context of international trade.
I could speak with you about what universities are doing in terms of research, including research on the movement of goods, and what we're doing in terms of supporting innovation, start-ups and scale-up. However, I wanted to come to talk to you today about the importance of increasing supports for international education as a means of strengthening Canada's economy in a post-pandemic context.
International education has grown significantly in the last 10 years, and it has the potential to be one of the top Canadian exports, if this level of growth continues. Currently, international students contribute more than $21 billion to the Canadian economy every year.
To begin, I feel I should note that while I am here as a representative of York University, it's fair to say that the challenges and opportunities I will speak about are relevant for the broader Canadian university sector. As a point of reference, York University is consistently in the top three to five Canadian institutions for international education and is home to more than 8,500 of Canada’s 200,000-plus international undergraduate and graduate students.
International education supports multiple goals and gaps in Canada’s foreign policy, including helping to fulfill the need for skilled immigration, counteracting the effects of an aging society on our economy and advancing diplomacy. In addition, international students are a crucial part of Canada’s research, innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem. International graduate students in particular contribute to the backbone of our research enterprise.
Also, of course, international graduates and researchers who decide to return to their home countries provide important business and research networks for the future and become lifelong ambassadors for Canada and Canadian values.
In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, Canadian universities have experienced significant declines in international student enrolment. After five years of experiencing, on average, 10% growth in international student enrolment, international enrolment was down 2% across Canada this year. Fifty-one Canadian universities experienced a decline in the number of international students as compared with last year. Of these, 26 saw a decline of more than 10% and 14 saw a decline of more than 20%.
We recognize and appreciate the many ways in which the federal government has supported international education since the beginning of the pandemic, including making policy changes that allowed online study for international students, granting border exemptions that enabled students to come to Canada, providing comprehensive support packages and making significant investments in research funding.
We also appreciate the federal government’s recognition of international education as an essential pillar of Canada’s long-term competitiveness, its commitment to supporting international education through the release of the 2019 international education strategy and its corresponding efforts to diversify the education sector, boost Canada’s innovation capacity, promote global ties and foster a vibrant Canadian economy.
Despite these efforts, however, York and other Canadian universities continue to face significant recruitment and retention challenges. I would like to highlight four areas for attention.
Regarding permit processing times, wait times have averaged as long as 35 to 44 weeks for key international markets, and visa processing continues to be the least competitive aspect of Canada’s international education brand.
There's a need for a more sophisticated, data-driven market intelligence and a comprehensive marketing strategy to position Canada as a preferred destination for international students. Our marketing is currently being conducted piecemeal at the institutional, provincial and national levels, but we need a coordinated national approach to maximize impact and reach.
We also have an overreliance on key markets. We currently rely heavily on the core international markets for the majority of our international recruitment. We must diversify our market development approach to ensure that Canada has a stronger presence in regions that are likely to become more competitive in the coming years, such as the ASEAN countries, Colombia, Senegal and Morocco.
Finally, the disjointed and heavily bureaucratic system of governance for international education is an issue. Many different bodies manage the various elements of the international education process, including three federal ministries, 13 provincial and territorial ministries, and several institutions, among others. Our educational strategies and activities are not aligned, resulting in students receiving mixed messages.
I have a request. In order to overcome these challenges and continue to attract and support international students, Canadian universities urgently need an agile, streamlined and coordinated approach to educational oversight in Canada.
We would urge the federal government to create a national agency that acts as a sector-specific trade organization to align the mandates of the various federal ministries and agencies involved in international education; to coordinate Canada's international education approach; to ensure that visa processing is handled in an expeditious manner; to create talent-luring programs to enhance Canada’s competitive advantage and make it a more attractive destination for international students; to collect and distribute data-driven market intelligence; and to promote Canada as a leading destination for higher education.
This last is a particularly urgent need, as we currently have a short window of opportunity before the new political administration in the U.S. amends its immigration policies to make America a more attractive destination for international students.
The proposed agency needs also to develop relationships with priority markets. In particular, we would recommend the completion of a trade agreement with the ASEAN countries.
One excellent model for the type of national body I have described is the Australian Trade and Investment Commission, the international trade promotion and investment attraction agency responsible for aligning Australia’s import, export, investment, tourism and education strategies. Its mandate includes generating market information and insights, promoting Australian capability and facilitating connections through its extensive global network.
The goals of international education strategy and trade are interconnected. Both focus on attracting new talent to the country, boosting our innovation capacity, promoting global ties and fostering a vibrant Canadian economy.
Increasing federal support for international education will help make Canada a more attractive destination for international students and provide Canadian universities with the foundation they need to remain competitive in the global economy throughout the pandemic recovery period and beyond.
Thank you for the opportunity to appear before the committee today. I look forward to any questions you may have.