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Canada: 9.3% drop in ELT students in 2013

Canada’s language sector has suffered a damaging blow due to last year’s Foreign Service Officer strike and new regulations to the country’s International Student Programme. Figures from the sector’s representative body Languages Canada show student numbers have dropped 9.3%, representing the sector’s biggest decrease since 2003’s SARS outbreak.

Language providers were included on every province’s list except for Quebec– affecting around 16 institutions

According to the second annual Languages Canada member survey, the fall represents a decrease of overall student numbers for Canada from 142,931 in 2012 to 129,704 in 2013.

British Columbia, a province representing 40% of the country’s ELT sector was the second hardest hit with a 12.7% drop in students.

“It’s the first drop we’ve seen since 2003 when SARS hit us but unlike SARS this is a Canadian made problem”

“It’s been the year of the perfect storm,” commented Languages Canada’s Executive Directer Gonzalo Peralta referring to the the sector’s loss of rights to Co-op work study programmes, the PAFSO strike and uncertainty from changes at the federal level.

“It’s the first drop we’ve seen since 2003 when SARS hit us but unlike SARS this is a Canadian-made problem.”

During last summer’s six-month PAFSO strike, educators were confident that the government’s swift action to prioritise education related visas would minimise the impact on the industry.

However, because trade commissioners were also on strike, there has been a lag in the situation’s true damage.

“Trade commissioners had less time to support us in our endeavors,” said Peralta. “So someone that might have been working on the file full time during the strike they were only there 30% of the time. That’s what ended up happening.”

The language industry has also been caught up in Canada’s tricky multi-jurisdictional political landscape. New legislation under the International Student Programme came into effect June 1 requiring all provinces to submit lists of approved education providers allowed to issue International Student Permits to the federal government.

Language providers were included on every province’s list except for Quebec– affecting around 16 institutions. And in British Columbia, Languages Canada is working to ensure that they are are allowed to operate after 2015’s deadline for all providers to be EQA approved.

The June 1 policy also made the language sector exempt from the popular work-study co-op programmes.

The loss of co-ops has been a huge factor contributing to the drop

“The [impending] loss of co-ops has been a huge factor contributing to the drop,” Peralta confirmed. “We consider it to be a fundamental mistake by our government.” Peralta estimates that co-ops students accounted for around 12% of overall numbers.

“We’re focusing our provincial advocacy efforts on Quebec and BC because every other province has had some extremely successful mechanisms in place,” he said, adding that he’s confident the outcome of the regulation will be positive overall.

“The government supports increased quality and programme integrity at Citizen Immigration Canada, and Languages Canada and its partners expect that this will result in improved visa processing quality and speed.”

Language’s Canada represents 156 members with 214 member programmes.

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