Canada to Spent 10-Million to Attract International Students

Canada is upping the ante in their efforts to attract foreign students to our colleges and universities. This year’s federal budget saw the government commit 10 million dollars over the next 2 years to developing Canada’s international brand.

The funds will largely focus on strengthening the “Imagine Education au/in Canada” brand, a program that aims to promote the high quality of Canada’s colleges and universities to undecided international students.

“The brand is all the things Canada does,” said Jennifer Humphries, vice-president of membership, public policy and communications for the Canadian Bureau for International Education. “I still think, and the government seems to agree with us, there needs to be more investment and more work on establishing a brand, because we aren’t where we need to be.”

The budget also included $13 million for the Vancouver-based Mitacs Globalink program that matches international research students with schools.

Earlier this year, Canadian officials reported that Canada saw their international student population reach 100,000 for the first time ever. The booming international student body represents an increase of 60% from the enrollment numbers of 2004.

It’s estimated that international students contribute over $8-billion to the Canadian economy, which is part of the motivation to better position Canada as the first choice for international students.