There are hundreds of international college and university students in North Bay coping as best they can with the COVID-19 pandemic.
They are finishing their course work online and many have been allowed to stay in residence. Many are working part-time at the fast-food restaurants still open for pickup or delivery. What they can’t do is go home.
Air Canada is not flying out of North Bay for the time being. Flights out of Toronto, even if available, are expensive. With all the travel restrictions in place, it may be impossible to get a return flight. If they did manage to get a flight out and one back, they have to self-isolate in Canada for 14 days when they return. As a result, most will be spending the summer in Canada, hoping to find work.
As of last December, there were 642,480 international post-secondary students in Canada, representing more than 20 per cent of the total student population. They are the reasons colleges and universities are able to balance their budgets, because they pay, on average, three times the tuition fee a Canadian student pays.
Before the pandemic, we saw them everywhere in the city, with many working the allowed 20 hours per week off-campus in a variety of settings. During the summer they can work full-time if they are lucky enough to find a job.
The fact that most international students want to remain in Canada after graduation is no secret.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada make it fairly easy for them, with access to Post-Graduate Work Permits and the Canadian Experience Class of immigration. Through that economic stream if they are young, have a Canadian education and Canadian work experience, their chances of being selected in the Express Entry draws are very good.
That is why we are seeing so many international students choose Canada. The ones I have met locally are very well educated. They often have at least one university degree in their home country before they arrive in Canada.
They have good English skills and are eager to stay and work in Canada. Some plan to apply to the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot and stay and work in North Bay. Others will go where the jobs are.
Many are married and their spouse is equally well educated. The spouse may be attending school, or working full-time in the community. If a married couple comes to Canada and one is a full-time post-secondary student the other is granted an open work permit, meaning he or she can work for any employer.
I gave a presentation on immigration at Northern College in Timmins more than a year ago. While I was waiting for the lecture theatre to empty so I could set up I observed the students walking by in the hall and saw many were international students. I learned later that the campus has more than 400 international students, with smaller numbers at its Haileybury and Kirkland Lake campuses.
In North Bay, we are “just north enough to be perfect.” That’s not a slogan Timmins could use, four hours north of us. It shows geography is not a limiting factor when it comes to attracting international students.
Canadore began its international recruitment years ago, attracting students from China for its aviation programs. Those students came to North Bay, got their education, and returned to China. Now we are seeing students from all over the world, with India leading the way. Many of these students hope to stay in Canada after graduation.
Their economic impact on the city has to be very large, considering the fees they are paying. They have to eat every day, buy clothes, take local transit and spend a little on recreation. That all adds up. In addition, many contribute to the local labour market, in normal times, by working up to 20 hours a week while in school and full-time during school breaks.
During my time at Canadore, 1978-1993, there were few, if any, international students. It’s a whole new world when you visit the campus now. And that is a good thing.
When I went to university in Ottawa I lived in residence and there were many international students. We learned about their cultures and they learned about Canadian culture. That experience prepared me for the world of work, where I came into contact with people from around the world. It is wonderful to see our local Canadian students getting the same opportunity to expand their world views.
Editor’s Note: Don Curry is a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant living in North Bay.
