Branded: International education and 21st-century Canadian immigration, education policy, and the welfare state

Abstract

Over the past two decades there has been a shift in Canadian education policy from a focus on education as a public good to education as a commodity, with policy language increasingly infused with the strategies of business. Branded 'Education au/in Canada', complementary immigration and education policies accommodate seamless entry, renewal, employment opportunities and finally citizenship for the best and the brightest of students abroad. Using a theoretical lens of neo-liberalism and post-colonialism, this article analyses the close intersectionality between immigration and education policy in Canada, illustrates how Canada actively recruits and maintains international students for its nation-building, and discusses the impact on the Canadian welfare state.

Visa and Immigration Trends: A Comparative Examination of International Student Mobility in Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States

“…There is very little connection between higher education institutions and the role that Homeland Security or Customs and Border Protection plays on international education, although some effort has been made in Canada and Australia toward creating a linkage between higher education institutions' recruitment of international students and visa and immigration regulations (Milligan et al, ). For example, Johnstone & Lee () point out that in 2011, the Council of Ministers of Education in Canada (CMEC) aligned with the Federal Ministers of Immigration to work on “seamless connection between education and immigration” (p. 16). Moreover, in the executive summary “Bringing Education in Canada to the World, Bringing the World to Canada,” an education marketing plan was developed to promote international education, which involved some input from higher education institutions in cultivating this plan.…”

Pluralizing Frameworks for Global Ethics in the Internationalization of Higher Education in Canada

“…This is particularly relevant for policy makers who believe we are operating within a global "knowledge economy," in which countries compete to either retain or attract highly skilled persons in what Gibb and Walker (2011) describe as a "global war for talent" (p. 389). In the context of a highly uneven geopolitical landscape, Global North countries like Canada are the primary beneficiaries of this "war" (Altbach & Knight, 2007;Johnstone & Lee, 2014). A growing body of work also addresses the racism and xenophobia experienced by international students in Canadian higher education institutions (Coloma, 2013;Guo & Guo, 2017;.…”

“…For instance, in Canada, Usher (2018) points out that as combined government transfers (provincial and federal) to universities have steadily declined since 2009, cuts in funding have largely been filled by growing numbers of international students and their rising tuition costs (which have been growing at a rate of 4% per year). The perceived benefits of internationalization are not only direct, but also relate to the larger project of global economic and epistemological hegemony (Johnstone & Lee, 2014). Larkin (2015) argues:…”

“…There is clearly a belief that internationalizing education will not only provide greater revenues through knowledge products and the penetration of new markets, but that it will provide Canadian universities with opportunities to recruit students and faculty from abroad (as both providers and producers of revenue) and will position national research universities to compete at the highest level globally. (p. 144) She contends that, as a result, internationalization efforts often reproduce Canada's geopolitical hegemony, particularly in relation to partners in the Global South (see also Johnstone & Lee, 2014). Others point out that in the rush for revenues and other international opportunities, Canadian institutions have failed to create culturally responsive environments for international students and scholars (Guo & Guo, 2017), or to adequately consider and manage the ethical complexities of international study and service abroad experiences and research partnerships (Beck, 2012;Khoo, 2011;Larkin, 2015).…”

Immigration Gridlock: Assessing Whether Canada’s Express Entry is an Effective Immigration System for International Students’ Transition into Permanent Residency?

“…This is both to protect the jobs of local workers, and to prevent the immigration scheme from being used as a backdoor for entry to settle (Birrell & Perry, 2009;Dobson & Salt, 2009;Lee & Rice, 2007). However, there is extensive literature showing that Canada has generally demonstrated a strong passion for expanding their share of the international education market, as well as maintaining a highly skilled immigration stock (Johnstone & Lee, 2014).…”