Background

International student enrolments in Canada grew rapidly following the COVID-19 pandemic. The accelerated growth raised concerns around capacity limits for some institutions, especially relating to housing and other key student services. In January 2024, the federal government imposed a two-year cap on new study permits for international students as well as several associated policies to tighten up the flow of students into Canada. Due to these policy changes, the appeal of Canada as a study destination weakened among prospective international students, as evidenced in IDP’s student surveys. On September 18, 2024, the government announced additional restrictive measures, which could further impact demand and perceptions of Canada.

The Canada Sector Survey on International Education will provide a voice to professionals in the sector who are impacted by the new policy environment and identify key challenges, issues, and opportunities going forward.

Survey development

This survey has been created in consultation with the following Canadian higher education organizations: Alberta Bureau for International Education, BC Council For International, Education, Canadian Bureau for International Education, Colleges and Institutes Canada, EduNova, ICEF, Languages Canada, Manitoba Council for International Education, and Universities Canada. 

As with other IDP thought leadership initiatives, this survey has been developed by IDP at no cost, and the results of the survey will be shared with the public at no cost.

Purpose

The Canada Sector Survey on International Education is intended to capture the voice of Canadian international education professionals at a pivotal time following major policy announcements and changes. Following the success of the U.S. Sector Survey, “Survey on a National Strategy for International Education in the U.S.,” IDP is well positioned to manage and execute this research in collaboration with key Canadian organizations. The survey results will be shared with the sector to help identify top challenges and collective opportunities for Canada moving forward.

Audience

This is a cross-sector survey, open to all professionals in Canadian international education. This includes but is not limited to: higher education institutions, language school providers, policy-advising and membership organizations, K-12 schools, private sector organizations, government, and more.

Instructions

Please respond to the following questions to share your insights on international education in Canada. Some questions pertain to your institution/organization, while others address "Destination Canada" more broadly. Please review each question carefully. The survey should take 15-20 minutes to complete.

The deadline to complete the survey is October 2nd. 

Questions/for more information

For questions or more information about the survey, please contact Elle Butler at elle.butler@idp.com.

Privacy Statement 

This survey is published and managed by IDP Connect Inc.  

Participation in this survey is voluntary. All of the information that you provide will be treated as confidential and will only be used for research purposes. Your responses and comments will not be identified as belonging to you; instead, they will be combined with those gathered from other survey participants and will be analyzed as part of a group. When designing and executing our research, it is our policy to take all necessary steps to ensure that personal information you provide is processed fairly and lawfully. We do not use any of the information you provide for direct marketing or other non-research activities. 

By participating in this survey, you are agreeing to have your data processed by IDP Connect Inc and understand that the results will be shared with the non-profit supporting organizations listed on the survey landing page. A public report will be compiled and shared following the survey closure and data analysis.  

Read more in IDP Connect’s privacy policy.