The first nine months of 2022 showcased several positive approval rate trends for Canadian student visas.1 These positive developments have benefited Atlantic Canada greatly. In fact, study permit approvals reached new full-year highs for the region even with three months of data collection to go.2
Although student visa approvals are growing as a whole, there’s been a fundamental shift in where students are coming from. In the first of our Canadian provincial trends series, we look at Atlantic Canada’s record-breaking 2022. We dive into Atlantic Canada’s top student populations, an exciting rise in approval rates for several African countries, and the impact these shifts will have on Atlantic institutions.
Which student populations are driving this record-setting growth? And how will the student population shift impact Atlantic provinces and institutions?
Key Insights at a Glance
- Over 16,000 new study permits were approved for Atlantic Canada from January to September 2022, already surpassing full-year 2021.
- Nigeria became Atlantic Canada’s second-largest source country for international students in 2022, with growth of 347% since 2019.
- The number of study permits approved for students from Cameroon, Ghana, and Algeria more than doubled in the first nine months of 2022 compared to 2021.
A Shifting Student Population in Atlantic Canada
More than 16,700 international students were approved to study in Atlantic Canada from January through September 2022. This set a new full-year high for the region, with three months to go. The chart below shows how the top student populations have shifted since 2016:
In 2018, India became Atlantic Canada’s top source for students, and it continued to lead the way in 2022. The 4,700 approvals for Indian students through September already set a new full-year high. However, approval rates for Indian students fell to 53% in 2022, down 11 percentage points from 2021. This was 5 percentage points lower than the national average in 2022. Since 2016, the only other time approval rates for Indian students fell below 64% was during the pandemic in 2020.
One of Atlantic Canada’s most impressive shifts has been its increase in students from Nigeria, the region’s most rapidly growing international student population. With 1,364 new study permit approvals in September 2022, Nigeria has replaced China as the second-largest source market for international students in Atlantic Canada. Nigerian approvals in the first nine months of 2022 grew by 36% over full-year 2021, and by a whopping 347% over pre-pandemic 2019.
Rounding out the top three, the Philippines also saw a new full-year high in student visa approvals during the first nine months of 2022. The approval rate for Filipino students reached 71% last year. This was also a new high for the Philippines, setting the country up for future growth into 2023.
Approval Rates for Many African Countries Spiking
One of the more exciting developments in 2022 for Canadian student visa approvals was the rise in approval rates for African students. Atlantic Canada is helping drive that growth. Several African countries became top source markets for the region in 2022.
Approval rates for students from Cameroon more than doubled in 2022 over the previous year. This helped nearly 400 Cameroonian students receive an approved student visa, a growth of 97% over the previous full-year high in 2019.
The continued development of African student populations will be critical to the ongoing growth of Canada’s international education sector.
Like Cameroon, both Ghana and Algeria have seen major increases in approval rates and total approvals. The 39% approval rate for Ghanaian students in 2022 was triple that of 2021. As a result, over 350 Ghanaian students received an approved student visa, nearly three times the full-year high from 2021. Approval rates for Algerian students reached 33% in 2022, up 12 percentage points from the previous year. This helped another 350 students receive an approved student visa, nearly triple the full-year high from 2021.
Changing Student Populations Impacting Atlantic Canadian Colleges and Institutions
Some student markets gravitate toward a specific study level over others. For instance, Indian and Filipino students generally study at colleges. 2022 marked the first time China was not a top-two source of students for Atlantic Canada. As a result of the drop in Chinese international student enrollment, university approvals have yet to surpass 2022 totals.
The following chart shows approval trends by study level in Atlantic Canada:
K-12 was the fastest growing study level in Atlantic Canada last year. The near 4,200 approvals reported in the first nine months of 2022 represented a growth of 22% compared to full-year 2021. Overall, nearly one in four permits were granted for primary and secondary students.
In 2022, 46% of Filipino approvals went to college students. Many of these students are mature students with families, contributing to the growth of the K-12 student population in Atlantic Canada. In comparison, just 15% of approvals for Indian students were for college in 2022. Like K-12, the college sector already set a new full-year high in the first nine months of 2022. Approvals for Atlantic colleges grew by 20% through September 2022 compared to full-year 2021. Colleges accounted for 17% of all approvals in the region.
Over 8,700 international students were approved to study at Atlantic Canadian universities through the first nine months of 2022. This puts the study level on track to surpass the full-year high set in 2021. Although approvals for Atlantic universities are slightly below full-year 2021, there’s good news for this study level: universities accounted for 69% of Nigerian approvals in Atlantic Canada in 2022. As China continues to transition into a destination market, it will be important for Atlantic universities to build more bridges in new university-oriented markets. In addition to Nigeria, universities accounted for 93% of Bangladeshi student approvals and 67% of Indian student approvals from January to September 2022.
Looking Forward
In the first nine months of 2022, Atlantic Canada has already had a record-breaking year, with the region showing signs of continued growth into next year. Student populations are shifting in Atlantic Canada, particularly from Nigeria, Algeria, Cameroon, and Ghana.
With affordability top of mind for many students, the lower cost of living in Atlantic Canada means the growth we are seeing this year could be just the beginning. Atlantic Canada generally offers international students lower tuition fees compared to other Canadian provinces, giving it a competitive advantage over those provinces. Institutions in Atlantic Canada can help guide students through the process and leverage the region’s competitive advantages along the way.
Stay tuned to ApplyInsights in the coming weeks for the next article in our provincial trends series, and much more.
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FOOTNOTES:
1. The terms student visa and study permit are generally used interchangeably for Canadian international students. Rather than student visas, Canada provides accepted international students with study permits, which allow those students to enroll in classes at Canadian institutions. When a student is accepted for a study permit, they are also usually provided with a visitor visa, which allows that student to enter Canada for their studies. For the purposes of this article, we’ll use the terms interchangeably.
2. All data courtesy of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
