The Canadian government has released a report showing that international students contributed more than CDN$8 billion to the Canadian economy in 2010, up from CDN$6.5 billion in 2008.
According to the ICEF Monitor, there were 218,000 full-time international students in Canada in 2010, up from 178,000 in 2008 and more than double the number of students in 1999.
“The Canadian government is committed to continuing to attract the best and brightest students to Canada,” says Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway.
The report found that the CDN$8 billion generated by international students translates into an estimated CDN$4.9 billion in GDP, supports 86,570 jobs, and generates CDN$455 million of government tax revenue. Foreign students are now worth more than Canada’s exports in aluminium or aerospace products.
English language courses in Canada were estimated to have contributed an additional CDN$788 million per year to the Canadian economy. This is equal to approximately CDN$455 million in GDP, 10,780 jobs, and CDN$48 million in government revenue.
In 2010, Languages Canada surveyed its member schools and found that an estimated 136,906 students (representing 1,639,793 study weeks) came to study English across Canada. Many of these students have since gone on to study at universities and colleges across Canada.
Source: Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
Read the full story in the ICEF Monitor: http://monitor.icef.com/2012/08/international-students-generate-cdn8-billion-for-canadian-economy/
