Nigeria has been rated as the fourth leading country among nations sourcing for study permits to Canada.
This is contained in a recent update on the economic influence of international education in Canada.
Study permits from Nigeria, India, the Philippines, Hong Kong, and Colombia combined contributed $30.9 billion to Canada’s GDP in 2022, amounting to 1.2% of Canada’s GDP for that year.
The report, which includes long-term students at schools, colleges, and universities, as well as short-term students, highlights that international education “plays an important role in the globalisation of the Canadian economy, allowing it to thrive in a fast-changing and competitive environment.”
The report also reveals that the number of international students in Canada surged by a significant 61% from 2016, when there were 523,971 international students to 2022, when the number reached 844,444.
The update estimates that international students spent approximately $37.3 billion on “tuition, accommodation, and discretionary items,” even when accounting for Canadian scholarships and bursaries.
This spending supported the equivalent of 246,310 jobs in Canada and contributed a substantial $7.4 billion in tax revenue in 2022.
“The year 2022 saw the highest number of long-term students in Canada, following a dip in 2020 and 2021 due to travel restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic,” the report stated.
The analysis further indicated that the economic contributions of international students to Canada continue to grow, with the increasing number of international students’ overall spending more than doubled between 2016 and 2022, rising from $15.5 billion to $37.3 billion, which represents an annual increase of 15.7%.
The report noted a steady increase in the number of overseas students in the country, with previous reports published in 2008, 2010, 2014, 2015, and 2016 all documenting consistent growth.
In total, Canada hosted a total of 844,444 international students in 2022, with the majority totalling 769,515 classified as long-term students.
