Canadian study permit approvals reached an all-time high in 2022, driven in part by strong growth from primary and secondary students. In fact, K-12 approvals increased throughout Canada, with primary students driving most of the growth.
Both Canadian school boards and private schools influence primary and secondary school systems. This means that many of the factors that affect Canada’s primary sector can also affect its secondary sector, and vice versa. Much like the post-secondary sector, these two study levels were affected by travel restrictions during the pandemic, with many parents hesitant to send their children to study abroad. With travel measures lifted and the international education sector returning to a normal pace, the primary and secondary international student markets are diverging in interesting ways.
So, how does the growth of K-12 approvals compare to other study levels? What factors are driving the growth in K-12 approvals? And which countries are sending primary and secondary students to study in Canada? Let’s dive right in.
Key Insights at a Glance
- In 2022, K-12 increased by nearly 20,000 approvals compared to the previous year, representing a growth of 44%.1
- Student visa approvals at the primary level grew five times faster than the secondary level across all provinces in 2022.2
- Nova Scotia saw an 89% increase in K-12 approvals in 2022.
- 60% of the 5,600 Ukrainian students approved to study in Canada in 2022 were primary school students.
K-12 Approvals Outpaced All Study Levels in Canada
The K-12 sector had the largest growth rate of all study levels in 2022, with more students approved for primary and secondary study than ever before. Let’s take a look at how K-12 approvals grew over the past seven years:
In 2022, more than 65,200 K-12 students were approved to study in Canada. This represents a remarkable growth of 44% from the previous year and more than double that of 2016. In short, parents have shown more willingness to send their children to Canada for their education in recent years.
While approvals in Canada grew by 27% overall in 2022 over the previous year, K-12 approvals surpassed that growth. The college level also increased significantly, growing 41% over the same period. In contrast, the university level experienced a much slower growth rate of only 8%.
Canadian Prairies and Ontario See a Surge in K-12 Approvals
K-12 student visa approvals increased across all provinces in 2022. Let’s take a closer look at the provinces that primary and secondary students are studying in:
Overall, all five regions had double-digit growth for K-12 study permit approvals in 2022.
The Prairies had the largest year-over-year growth rate in 2022, up 62%. Alberta was the most popular Prairie province, with an 83% increase in approvals over this period, followed by Saskatchewan, which was up 78%.
A total of 5,200 K-12 students were approved in Atlantic Canada in 2022, representing a 53% growth over the previous year. Much of this growth came from Nova Scotia, with K-12 approvals up 89% over this period. But Newfoundland and Labrador as well as New Brunswick, both grew significantly last year as well, up 40% and 34% respectively.
K-12 approvals in both Ontario and Quebec grew by 36% in 2022 compared to 2021.
Despite being the second-largest K-12 destination market in Canada, British Columbia had the slowest growth in 2022 at 10%. But this comes after a surge of approvals in 2021, as BC had the highest post-pandemic growth for K-12 approvals.
Primary Education Surpasses Secondary Education as the Top Level of Study in K-12
Primary and secondary schools shifted considerably in 2022. Let’s take a look:
The primary level accounted for the majority of the growth in K-12 in 2022. In fact, primary approvals grew at a rate five times faster than secondary approvals across all provinces last year.
In 2022, there were more approvals for primary school students than for secondary school students. This is a significant change in the international education market in Canada, as historically there have been 2-3 times more international high school students coming to Canada.
The increase of nearly 15,300 primary school approvals accounted for 76% of the growth in the K-12 sector, indicating a growing interest in Canadian education at the primary level.
Secondary student visa approvals increased by 4,600 permits to reach a total of 32,400, which is slightly lower than the 32,800 primary-level approvals. This represents a growth rate of only 17% over the last year for secondary students, significantly below the 87% growth rate of primary student visa approvals.
Asian and Latin American Markets Driving Primary Student Approvals
The number of approvals more than doubled for 4 of Canada’s top 10 source markets for primary schools. Let’s dig deeper into primary student approvals and take a look at which source markets were the top source markets for primary students in 2022:
The top 10 markets accounted for 77% of all primary student approvals in Canada in 2022. Among these markets, six are located in Asia and two are in Latin America. Last year, primary students from India, the Philippines, and Nigeria saw triple-digit growth rates. For instance, new study permit approvals for Indian primary students in Canada grew by an impressive 158% in 2022.
Ukraine had the highest growth rate overall, with over 3,300 primary student approvals. Remarkably, 60% of the 5,600 Ukrainian students coming to Canada in 2022 were primary school students, largely influenced by the recent geopolitical conflict in Europe and the Canadian government’s initiative to waive application fees for Ukrainian students.
Looking Forward
With parents feeling more confident about sending their children abroad, the Canadian international primary and secondary sectors are booming. Primary students are driving most of the growth. As Canada continues to implement its International Education Strategy, this trend is expected to continue, with many parents considering Canada’s high-quality education system for their children.
Learn more about the eligible Canadian private and public institutions and why international students have been interested in K-12 across Canada!
As travel restrictions are being lifted, we can expect to see more growth in the primary and secondary education sectors. With growing student visa approvals for primary and secondary students across all provinces, institutions in Canada can attract more students by considering the following:
- Promoting the government’s recent commitment to family reunification, by making it easier for international students to obtain permanent residency after graduation.
- Increasing awareness of Primary and Secondary School Programs and Systems to inform students and families of the different learning opportunities students can access in Canada.
- Setting students up for success with Canada’s ESL/FSL programs to enhance language training for primary and secondary students, as helping them improve their English or French skills will set them up for academic and social success in Canada.
- Encouraging students to leverage the Student Direct Stream (SDS) Expansion, which provides faster study permit processing times for students from select countries and extends to international students at the primary and secondary school levels.
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FOOTNOTES:
1. Data courtesy of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
2. 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.
