On December 2, 2025, ApplyBoard team members connected with over 250 attendees who checked in from around the world for our 2026 Trends Report webinar, Building and Rebuilding Global Education. During the webinar, we highlighted patterns to watch for and steps organizations can take to adapt to evolving student mobility patterns and government policy.

The webinar attendees also asked some great questions, from how government policy is affecting top destinations like the UK and Australia, to asking for resources to learn about the education system and culture of different study destinations (check out our free ApplyBoard Counsellor Courses)!

We didn’t have time to get to everyone’s question, so we’re answering some of the most popular ones below. Plus, we’ve shared the full list of questions with our marketing team to help shape our webinars and other outreach in 2026. Read on to see what international education professionals are thinking about.

How should international student advisors adjust their strategies in 2026 to remain competitive?

While everyone’s circumstances are different, being curious and learning as much as you can about the sector is a superpower. If you understand what students need to apply abroad, and track how policies are changing, you’ll be equipped to share valuable guidance. It’s also wise to track which careers students plan to pursue, and which fields will likely be resilient through technological change.

To stay knowledgeable, advisors can keep up with government announcements by subscribing to news alerts (or related Google Alert keywords). Also, while tools like Gemini and ChatGPT can provide quick answers, always double-check the sources they cite. LLMs may misinterpret the original document or make things up. 

Find and lean into the pathways that work. For example, in Q2 2025, over 15,000 Indian students were issued a main applicant study visa for the UK, up by over 40% versus Q2 2024. Meanwhile, UK Student visa issuances in the same quarter went up by over 100% year-over-year for students from Nepal, Nigeria, and Bangladesh. 

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And, as our sector adapts to government shifts like visa caps and paused visa processes, being flexible is vital. Consider diversifying into emerging study destinations which compliment your team’s existing offerings. Or, show more budget-conscious students that studying abroad is still within their reach, thanks to flexible offerings like 2+2 options where students do the first two years of their degree in their home country and the last two overseas.

Tech tools can help match students to study programs as well. For example, ApplyBoard’s Canadian Visa Calculator uses historic data to weigh the likelihood that a student will receive a study permit. The calculator considers each student based on their level of study, program choice, destination, and some demographic questions. While the results don’t replace official immigration guidance, they can help assess how viable different programs are.

What can we expect for Canada over the next few years for international student inflows?

In 2025, as in 2024, student caps affected every study level. This year, the number of new post-secondary study permit approvals are projected to fall by over 50% year-over-year. Weaker demand and lower study permit approval rates both affected this drop.

This marks a stark change from the historic growth of 2022 and 2023, where suppressed demand from the COVID pandemic helped to create a massive double cohort, but our team sees the targets outlined in the Canadian government’s latest budget as a level-setting move, and one that establishes a new normal. In fact, if the 2026 target of 155,000 new visa issuances is hit, it would actually be a slight increase over where we estimate 2025 will land.

Canada will remain a compelling study destination for many, as it continues to offer strong academic programs, excellent research opportunities, diverse campuses, and flexible post-study work opportunities through the federal post-graduate work permit program (PGWP). 

Over the next few years, we expect study permit applications will be reviewed more closely. But studying in Canada is still very possible for those who have strong documentation, can prove their financial readiness, and are pursuing programs that link clearly to their academic background and career path.

Looking for a Canadian study program which can lead to an in-demand career? Use the “High Job Demand” program tag filter when searching for programs on the ApplyBoard platform.

It seems like domestic factors in study destinations are doing more to shape global student mobility. Which factors are likely to have the strongest influence on student mobility?

For the last few rounds of ApplyBoard’s Student Pulse Surveys, affordability was central to students’ responses. In the most recent fall survey, 84% of respondents noted affordable tuition was in the top 5 factors which affected their program choices.

From an institutional angle, tuition rates are only so flexible. However, connecting eligible international students with new or existing scholarship opportunities can help offset the cost. It’s estimated over US$100 million of scholarship money goes unawarded every year—that’s a lot of money which could do a lot of good. Also, offering affordable housing to international students as widely as possible can help students feel more stable as they arrive.

The survey also found that 43% of surveyed students planned to work in their study country temporarily, which means future students are looking for study programs that enable them to pursue a graduate visa after their studies. And students are keeping an eye on institutions’ graduate employment rates, too. In fact, 63% of respondents say it plays a role in their program choice.

Less formally, future students are looking to current students for insider knowledge and general vibes. Whether it’s in a group chat, at a family reunion, or on TikTok or LinkedIn, it’s easy for future students to connect with current students and alumni. As a result, the stories they’ll hear can be more polarized (as most people don’t remember boring stories). So if the news is bad, it’ll be really bad. But, equally, students can be incredibly powerful connectors if they have a good campus experience. Institutions and government organizations should leverage them to create campaigns that connect meaningfully with future students. 

Which study destinations can we focus on in the upcoming intakes?

As always, this depends on your individual students’ interests and academic qualifications. As student visa grant rates continue to change, which countries make the most sense to promote also depends on where you are. Understanding which destinations currently have favourable student visa grant rates for your nationality is part of helping to ensure students’ success.

As we noted in our Trends Report, 2026 is a year of expanded student choice. Demand remains healthy for prestigious institutions like Canada’s U15, the American Ivy League, Australia’s sandstone universities, or Russell Group institutions in the UK. That said, Australia is just one example of student demand shifting toward universities in general, as policies like international student caps limit student inflows.

We’ve also highlighted the steady growth that Germany has experienced over the last several years as a study destination. Germany hosted over 400,000 international students in the most recent winter semester, and is a lively, academically diverse destination. It’s likely to be interesting to many students who wish to learn and live in the EU.

Thanks for reading! If you have a question that wasn’t answered in the webinar or in this post, our blog and ApplyBoard Insights archives are great places to look. Our blog is home to student guides, sector news, and resources. Meanwhile, ApplyBoard Insights is filled with data-driven content on topics ranging from ApplyBoard platform student search trends to analysis of key policy changes.