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International students are going to be vital to Canada\u2019s economic recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 global pandemic, reveals a white paper released by a post-secondary education organization.<\/p>\n
\u201cColleges and institutes are ideally placed to support Canadians and help their communities recover in the months ahead,\u201d says Denise Amyot, president and CEO of Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan). <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThrough their deep commitment to respond to the evolving innovation and skills development needs of local stakeholders and employers, they are poised to support a strong and sustainable economic recovery,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n As Canada rebuilds its economy in a post-pandemic world, international students in particular will play a crucial role because of the skills and education they acquire and their tendency to seek out permanent resident status and work here upon graduation, states the report.<\/p>\n Read More<\/b><\/p>\n International Students Like Canada\u2019s Handling of COVID-19 Pandemic, says Education Expert<\/a><\/span> In a typical year, more than 400,000 international students come to Canadian colleges and universities with a Canadian study permit<\/span><\/a> and gain valuable work experience at the same time. Upon graduation, many of them get a post-graduation work permit<\/span><\/a> and then apply for permanent residence in Canada through the Express Entry<\/span><\/a> program.<\/p>\n In its white paper entitled COVID-19 and beyond: The role of colleges and institutes in Canada\u2019s resilient recovery, CICan notes industry and business leaders have already identified a risk of labour market shortages and issued calls for more aggressive immigration targets.<\/p>\n \u201cImmigrants and foreign workers at all skill levels bring a lot of experience and new ideas to Canadian workplaces and are often instrumental to the success of small businesses struggling with skills and labour shortages,\u201d said Corinne Pohlmann, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business\u2019 senior vice-president of national affairs, last year.<\/p>\n According to Pohlmann, immigrants often receive a great deal of help from their employers to integrate into Canada.<\/p>\n But international students, who have already been in Canada for years when they graduate, are in many cases already familiar with Canadian society and know how to seek out any help they might need. That makes them particularly sought-after by Canadian businesses facing labour shortages.<\/p>\n \u201cThe job market was already evolving before the pandemic, with advances in technology and the impacts of climate change pressuring traditional employment, and an aging population creating labour shortages that need to be addressed through immigration, with a particular emphasis on pathways to the labour market for international students,\u201d CICan notes in its latest report.<\/p>\n \u201cCOVID-19 has only compounded these disruptions, creating a new sense of urgency.\u201d<\/p>\n Ottawa is bullish on immigration and wants to welcome more than 1.2 million newcomers between 2021 and 2023. There are to be 401,000 new permanent residents to Canada this year, 411,000 next year, and 421,000 in 2023.<\/p>\n \u201cImmigration is essential to getting us through the pandemic, but also to our short-term economic recovery and our long-term economic growth,\u201d Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino has said. \u201cCanadians have seen how newcomers are playing an outsized role in our hospitals and care homes and helping us to keep food on the table.<\/p>\n \u201cAs we look to recovery, newcomers create jobs not just by giving our businesses the skills they need to thrive, but also by starting businesses themselves,\u201d he said. \u201cOur plan will help to address some of our most acute labour shortages and to grow our population to keep Canada competitive on the world stage.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\nCanada Immigration Set to Surge in 2021 as Vaccines Expected to Build Herd Immunity to COVID-19<\/a>
\nQuebec Gives Work Permit Break To International Students Whose Study Permits Expire This Year<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n
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