The influx of international students in Canada is increasing day by day, but it is reported that these students earn less than Canadian peers. It is a challenge for international students to carry the work and study parallelly. On the other hand, domestic students can efficiently work together with the studies.
A report by Statistics Canada said that international students had overweighed the graduation rates(64%) as compared to Canadian citizens (59%) and permanent residents of Canada (57%). What the international students lacked, according to the report, was their ability to combine study with work.
The statement added that international students staggered in their desire to continue working with studies. Only 47% of international students could combine work with studies, whereas the Canadian citizen aced with 86%, and 73% of permanent residents combined them well.
The incursion of international students is enormous. They add up to the possibility of skilled labour, the commixture of work and study is the most critical factor for them to earn more. One of the reasons for faring less in this regard is the restriction enforced by the study work permits.
CBIE’s President and CEO, Larrisa Bezo, said that the international students’ study work permits limit the amount of time they can spend on working while studying.
In a survey conducted in 2018 by CBIE, it was analyzed that 57% of the international students were unemployed, whereas 56% of them found it challenging to find a job. The most prominent hardship they faced while finding work was their lack of work experience.
Many said they could not get hold of positions that matched with their skill sets. Whereas to others noted that it was challenging for them to combine work with study.
Larrisa Bezo said that these hardships were augmented with the upheaval to full-time work. It is because they lack the connections that are needed professionally together with the work experience; employers are keen to seek.
She claimed that this situation would lead to underemployment of the international students, which will be more challenging once they try to find employment in their area of interest.
The long term labour market reports, on the other hand, found that international students can easily face the challenges in their post-graduation employment. 35 % of the graduate class of 2010 filed tax forms in Canada six years after graduation. The report further shows that international students were able to earn more than Canadian citizens but less than permanent residents.
The reason behind the international students earning high is that they are more likely to be masters or PhD students of programs that are associated with higher pay than the domestic students.
However, when the results of the students with educational background and work experience were compared, the scenario took a turn. A report said that the reasons are the anaemic social networks, discrimination, language difficulties, cultural shock, and less support from the peers that international students face.
