International students flocking to British Columbia
Mark Anthony Wijaya represents just one of more than 100,000 students who help bring $ 2 billion into economy
Mark Anthony Wijaya chose to attend university in Vancouver because of its worldwide reputation as a multicultural city that values sustainability. He arrived in the Lower Mainland when he was 21 and looking for a complete change from his experience during a two- year stint in the army in Singapore. He found it at Fraser International College, which is a first- year program at Simon Fraser University specifically for international students to transition into the B. C. post- secondary system. This summer, the 25- year- old is on track to graduate from SFU’s international studies program, and is hoping to complete a second major in entrepreneurship.
Wijaya is one of more than 100,000 international students studying in B. C., part of a trend that is growing both in terms of numbers and in economic impact, new reports show.
There has been a 13- per- cent increase in international students in B. C. since 2010 and a 17- per- cent increase in spending by international students, the government said in a news release. In 2011- 2012, there were 106,600 international students in both public and private institutions in B. C., which was up from 94,000 in 2009- 2010.
In 2011- 12, international students spent close to $ 2.10 billion in B. C. on tuition, accommodation and other living expenses, arts and culture and recreation, B. C. economist Roslyn Kunin found in a report commissioned by the B. C. Council for International
My focus is also on the environment and how to create a sustainable future and I thought that Vancouver had that spirit and goal.
MARK ANTHONY WIJAYA
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT AT SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
Education, a provincial Crown corporation that supports international education.
Spending by international students supported more than 23,400 jobs, the report says.
The value of international education to the B. C. economy ranks closely with other leading industries such as coal, lumber, chemical wood pulp and copper, Kunin’s report found.
Public feedback
“The growth we’re seeing in international education is great news, and speaks to the quality of our world- class education sector,” Advanced Education Minister Amrik Virk said in a news release. “As we strengthen trade relationships around the world it’s more important than ever for B. C. students to learn from international students in their classes here at home, and to study abroad, gaining experience and making connections in other countries.”
International students attend many types of schools in B. C., including public K- 12 schools, UBC and SFU, BCIT, more than 30 private language schools in Vancouver alone, and 58 private vocational and career training institutions in Vancouver with nearly 50,000 students, according to the Vancouver Economic Commission.
The number of international students might dip in 2014 because Citizenship and Immigration Canada ( CIC) has proposed regulatory reforms to the sector. The reforms mean that each provincial government will create a list of approved schools that can offer study permits. Initially, these reforms were to be in place by this past Wednesday but that date has been extended until summer 2014.
CIC is now reviewing public feedback to the proposed changes in preparation for completing the final regulations, the department said in a statement.
The Ministry of Advanced Education said in an emailed statement that it “is currently in the process of determining the approach to establishing the list of institutions that will be eligible to host international students with study permits once the proposed federal regulations are in force.”
An earlier draft framework suggested that schools will be required to be in good standing, offer students protection ( including a transparent tuition- fee refund policy), and keep tabs on classroom