Wilfrid Laurier University researchers are undertaking the first-ever study on how international students transition into the Ontario labour market. The university’s International Migration Research Centre found that more than 75 per cent of international students who study in Ontario remain in the province after graduation, most on temporary work visas. Their study — International Students in Ontario’s Postsecondary Education System, 2000-2012: An evaluation of changing policies, populations and labour market entry processes — explores the socioeconomic status and outcomes of these international students after finishing their studies.
The researchers also examined the major provincial and federal policy changes that affected student immigration between 2000 and 2012, drawing on international student visa data from Citizenship and Immigration Canada, and international student arrival and labour market transition data from Statistics Canada.