“A question of self-interest”: A brief history of 50 years of international student policy in Canada

Abstract

This article offers a periodization of the history of international student policy in Canada since 1970. It draws on archival sources at seven public post-secondary institutions in British Columbia and Ontario, as well as governmental discussion in both provinces and at the Federal level, and scholarly writing about international students within the Canadian Journal of Higher Education to construct this history. Four key periods are identified: the emergence of differential fee policies in the 1970s; an era of institutional recruitment efforts in the 1980s and 1990s; a period of active government recruitment in the 2000s; and an era of bifurcating priorities as governments expanded their recruitment efforts but scholars began to question the international student project in Canada. The article shows changes in international student policy over the past half-century, but also reveals continuities, most notably a sustained emphasis on serving Canada’s perceived national interests.

The Education-Immigration Nexus: Situating Canadian Higher Education as Institutions of Immigrant Recruitment

“…Admission requirements for foreign students varied significantly as most institutions either restricted out-of-province applications or gave preference to, first, in-province applicants, second, out-of-province Canadians, and only then foreign students (CMEC, 1986 ). However, the 1990s marked increased international student recruitment activity by Canadian institutions of higher education in the face of both funding cuts and the deregulation of international student tuition rates (McCartney, 2021 ).…”

“…Looking at experiences in other jurisdictions, in particular Australia and the UK, it is evident that HEIs are not immune to these types of policy shifts, irrespective of their past policy successes (Sabzalieva et al, 2022). McCartney's (2021) review of international student policy in Canada since the 1970s rightly points out both the agency of higher education institutions in crafting their own recruitment strategies, and also how the state through its immigration policy can have a profound effect on international student institutional policy.…”

International Student Recruitment During the Pandemic: The Unique Perspective of Recruiters from Small to Medium-Sized Higher Education Institutions

“…These activities encompass tactics such as attending educational fairs, visiting high schools, campus visits, contracting educational agents, producing marketing and promotional materials, and developing social media communications targeted toward prospective students (Hemsley-Brown and Oplatka, 2010 ; Vrontis et al, 2018 ). In Canada, by the late 1990s HEIs rapidly began expanding their overseas ISR by attending recruitment fairs and hiring educational agents (McCartney, 2021 ). Canadian HEIs adoption of these tactics was pervasive: " By 2014, more than 80% of Canadian institutions were participating in overseas recruitment fairs, and more than half employed student recruiters or agents to increase the number of international undergraduates on their campuses ” (Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, 2014 , as cited in McCartney, 2021 , p. 40).…”

“…In Canada, by the late 1990s HEIs rapidly began expanding their overseas ISR by attending recruitment fairs and hiring educational agents (McCartney, 2021 ). Canadian HEIs adoption of these tactics was pervasive: " By 2014, more than 80% of Canadian institutions were participating in overseas recruitment fairs, and more than half employed student recruiters or agents to increase the number of international undergraduates on their campuses ” (Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, 2014 , as cited in McCartney, 2021 , p. 40). These ISR tactics were initiated by HEIs, arguably for the revenue associated with international students and the increasing competition for these lucrative students (McCartney, 2021 ).…”

Confronting and Reimagining the Orientation of International Graduate Students: A Collaborative Autoethnography Approach

“…Although international student mobility rationales are varied and complex, the Canadian government has, like many countries, historically stressed one: the economic benefits international students contribute to Canada, both during study and after graduation as workers and "ideal" immigrants (McCartney, 2021). Due to intense post-secondary recruitment and internationalization efforts, the number of international students in Canada increased significantly over the past decade.…”