Canada welcomes record 226,450 Indian students in 2022
Darpan News Desk IANS, 21 Feb, 2023 11:30 AM
Toronto, Feb 21 (IANS) With 226,450 students, India has become the top source of new international students entering Canada in 2022, according to data released by the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
The North American nation set an immigration record by welcoming 551,405 international students from 184 countries in 2022.
India was closely followed by China and the Philippines with 52,165 and 23,380 students, respectively.
In 2021, a total of 444,260 new study permits took effect, an increase from the 400,600 in 2019.
In 2019, there were 637,860 international students in Canada -- a number which decreased in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and rebounded in 2021 to a total 617,315.
India was also among the top 10 source countries of international students already living and studying in Canada as of December 31, 2022, with 319,130 students.
According to IRCC, most new study permits are now being processed within the 60-day service standard in Canada.
The country, which processed an all-time high of 4.8 million visa applications in 2022, remains a top destination for Indian students due to the standard of education, lower costs, obtaining work, and immigration opportunities post-graduation.
Foreign students contribute more than $15.3 billion annually to the economy, according to the Canadian government.
Each year tens of thousands of graduates who chose to immigrate permanently to the country become a source of young, educated workers.
According to Statistics Canada, international students who get permanent residence tend to integrate quickly into the Canadian labour market due to their previous experience of living in the country on visas.
The federal government plans to send cheques of up to $650 to qualifying low- and medium-income households to help pay for children's dental needs through the same platform used for Canada Child Benefit payments. That is run through the Canada Revenue Agency, which the experts suggest could be a problem because many low-income families are less likely to file tax returns.
Murray Rankin says fighting crime by arresting more people is "futile," and the government is instead considering a range of options to keep people safe. Opposition Liberal Leader Kevin Falcon told the legislature that the government has continued a "catch-and-release" policy where repeat offenders are quickly freed from custody despite being accused of violent crimes.
A Twitter account for the district's emergency services division had posted on Saturday afternoon saying the fire was "under control and not spreading," but on Sunday the BC Wildfire Service's website lists the blaze as out-of-control. Videos posted online by the district show a helicopter dumping water on the fire.
Finance Minister Selina Robinson introduced the bill in the legislature on Tuesday, saying B.C. residents deserve better consumer protection and more transparency in the mortgage broking industry. One pending change is increasing fines to a maximum of $500,000 for those caught breaking the rules, while those with more than one conviction could face fines of up to $2.5 million.
Just after 3:30 a.m. on October 1, two suspects were in Jack Poole Plaza for 12 minutes, and briefly approached the base of the cauldron before leaving. When they returned 30 minutes later, one approached the base of the cauldron with a tool, while the other appeared to pull out a camera to record the destruction.
The money will help communities and businesses in Atlantic Canada and the Îles-de-la-Madeleine rebuild, and the fund will also go toward cleaning up fishing gear, ensuring the safety of navigation and protecting marine wildlife, he said.
