CANADA BIG DESTINATION FOR UAE STUDENTS, SAYS POLL

▶ Immigration expert says impact of ‘Trump factor’ yet to be fully revealed

Canada is becoming a leading study destination for UAE students, a poll suggests.

The country led the poll of 300 UAE youths, ahead of the US and UK. Most respondents were from India, Pakistan, the Philippines and the GCC, and about 76 per cent were high school pupils.

The poll was commissioned by the Canadian immigration firm Beeton and Company after a sharp increase in applications for study visas in Canada.

“It was a surprise,” said Julie Beeton, the firm’s managing director. “Over the last year, I’ve noticed a huge increase in clients wanting to know about study-abroad programmes.

“I had a number of clients that came to me after the Trump travel bans,” she said, referring to an embattled policy from the administration of president Donald Trump that seeks to restrict travel to the US from a list of predominantly Muslim countries.

“They were studying in the US and wanted to change and study in Canada.”

This autumn, universities and colleges in Canada have welcomed a growing number of Middle East students. Universities recorded a significant increase in applicants and enrolments in the past 12 months.

At the University of Alberta, GCC applicant numbers increased by 30 per cent compared with this time last year, while the University of Toronto had a 50 per cent rise in applicants and enrolment in students from the Middle East, Pakistan and Turkey.

International applicants at the University of Alberta have risen by 25 per cent overall.

“We have seen a steady growth in Canada altogether over the last 10 years but this year has not only been a growth but a big jump,” said Britta Baron, vice provost. “For most of the big research-intensive universities like ours, that has been particularly true.”

She credits stronger international recruitment strategies, a weak Canadian dollar and what she calls “the Trump factor”.

“There is the Trump factor, no doubt, and we see that particularly in countries that were or are affected by the travel ban,” Ms Baron said. “There’s a huge increase out of Iran, like three digits.”

She said universities in the US had not experienced much growth or decline in registrations for 2017-2018 year.

“I work a lot with my colleagues in the United States,” Ms Baron said. “Altogether there is no evidence of dramatic decline in the undergraduate level, the full impact of the Trump factor is not going to be seen until the next cycle.”

The increase in Middle East applicants at the University of Toronto was comparable to the increase for international students overall. Partial credit for Canada’s growing popularity was given to the image of its prime minister, Justin Trudeau.

“They know that our prime minister has spoken about getting the best talent for the innovation economy and is doing so by looking around the world,” said Ted Sargent, vice president for international enrolments at the University of Toronto, who visited Dubai this month to meet with former and potential students.

A few weeks ago, the University of British Columbia in Vancouver welcomed more than 100 students from the Emirates, an almost 50 per cent increase from last year.

Applicants from the Middle East for the 2017-2018 academic year increased 14 per cent since last year, consistent with the increase in international applicants.

In 2014, Canada’s government announced its target to nearly double its international student population from 239,000 in 2011 to 450,000 in 2022. Its education strategy listed the UAE and Saudi Arabia among 10 key markets.

There is growing engagement with the UAE, while enrolment from Saudi Arabia, traditionally the strongest GCC market, drops as the kingdom tightens its budget and cuts scholarships to lessen the effects of falling oil prices.

International students in Canada injected about C$11.4 billion (Dh33.2bn) into the economy in 2014.

Those who come, settle. The non-profit Canadian Bureau for International Education says half of Canada’s international students plan to apply for permanent residence.

There is the Trump factor, and we see that in countries that were or are affected by the travel ban BRITTA BARON Vice provost, University of Alberta