OTHER TEMPORARY RESIDENTS IN VANCOUVER

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1 OTHER TEMPORARY RESIDENTS IN VANCOUVER Students, Humanitarian, and Other Temporary Residents Fact Sheet (3 of 3) January 2011 There are four categories of Temporary Residents in Canada: Temporary Foreign Workers, International Students, Humanitarian Residents, and Others who do not fit in the above three categories. This report provides information on the latter three types of temporary residents in Vancouver. International Students More than 130,000 students come to study in Canada every year, and even more come to Canada to learn English or French. Most foreign students must apply for a study permit to study in Canada. Before applying for a permit, an applicant must have been accepted by a school, college, university, or other educational institution in Canada. Applicants must demonstrate they have enough money to support themselves (and any accompanying family members) while in Canada, and usually have to complete a medical examination and undergo a security clearance, furnishing a police certificate. Some foreign students do not require permits. These include students who wish to study in short term programs lasting six months or less, family or staff members of a foreign representative in Canada, and members of foreign armed forces. Once approved, a student receives a letter that must be shown to immigration officials at the point of entry in Canada. A study permit is then issued. The permit indicates whether the student may enter Canada only once or multiple times, and its expiry date is the date by which the person must leave Canada. Foreign students may apply to extend their stay in Canada. Foreign Students Requiring Study Permit and/or Visa International Students in Metro Vancouver The number of foreign students temporarily residing in Vancouver has grown over the past decade. As shown in Table 1, the number of international students in Metro Vancouver engaging in a program of study at least six months in duration and who require a student visa has increased more than 75% over the ten year period, from 22,450 in 2000 to 39,550 by Prepared by Sarah Zell for the City of Vancouver Mayor s Working Group on Immigration, March 2011

2 2 Note on Data Data included in this report are from Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). Most data on permanent and temporary residents are available in CIC s Facts and Figures 2009 Digital Library, which can be accessed from CIC s website at These data can be broken down to the provincial level and to certain CMAs, with place of residence in Canada categorized by an applicant s stated intention. Note that because these numbers are based on applicants stated intention of their place of residence they are subject to inaccuracy. The number of temporary residents in the City of Vancouver as a proportion of those in Metro Vancouver is likely overstated. CIC data broken down to the municipal level included in this report were obtained from the Immigration Research Unit of the B.C. government. Additional factsheets on immigration and population trends in British Columbia and the Metro Vancouver area can be found on the B.C. government s WelcomeBC website ( from the Communities Trends and Facts page. In this report, data refer to stock numbers unless otherwise indicated. Some numbers may be randomly rounded. Stock refers to the number of Temporary Residents present in the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) administrative system on a specific date (point in time); usually reported as of December 1st. This may include Temporary Residents that entered in a previous year, but still have a valid permit and are present on December 1st of the observation year. Flow refers to the number of Temporary Residents identified as entering the CIC administrative system over a period of time during the calendar year. No data on immigrant flow are included in this report. Note that most data on international students included in this report are Citizenship and Immigration Canada official statistics, which only include those students who applied for a study permit and/or visa. Students entering Canada temporarily and engaging in programs of study less than six months in length (for example many language courses) are not counted in these statistics. The numbers presented in this report understate the number of temporary foreign students residing in Vancouver.

3 3 Table 1: Foreign Students in Metro Vancouver, ,450 28,730 31,110 32,300 33,150 33,605 33,785 35,280 35,035 39,550 Source: Citizenship and Immigration Canada, stock on December 1 st International students study in Vancouver at various education levels in both public and private institutions. According to CIC data, in 2009 more than 40% of international students in Metro Vancouver requiring student visas were studying at the university level, while around 20% were in secondary or primary school (Table 2 and Figure 1). Table 2: Foreign Students in Metro Vancouver by Level of Study, 2009 Level of Study Number (%) of Students Secondary or Less 8,910 (23%) Trade 5,615 (14%) University 16,715 (42%) Other post secondary 6,680 (17%) Other or not stated 1,630 (4%) TOTAL 39,550 1 All data in this report are from this source unless otherwise indicated. For more information on statistics included in this report, see the Note on Data section.

4 4 In 2009, international students arrived in Metro Vancouver with student visas from more than 70 source countries. China, Korea, Japan, and the United States have remained top source countries for foreign students in the past decade (see Table 3). There has been a recent surge in students originating in Saudi Arabia, with more than 50 times the number of students in 2009, at 2,550, compared to a mere 45 students in the year Table 3: Top Source Countries for Foreign Students in Metro Vancouver by Rank (%) Source Country China 3 (11%) 2 (23%) 1 (28%) Korea 1 (25%) 1 (29%) 2 (23%) Saudi Arabia 33 (0.5%) 13 (1%) 3 (6%) United States 5 (8%) 4 (8%) 4 (6%) Japan 2 (17%) 3 (10%) 5 (5%) Taiwan 4 (10%) 5 (6%) 6 (4%) Hong Kong 6 (6%) 6 (3%) 7 (3%) Mexico 7 (3%) 7 (2%) 8 (2%) India 14 (0.5%) 9 (2%) 9 (2%) Germany 9 (2%) 11 (1%) 10 (1%) Brazil 11 (1%) 18 (0.5%) 11 (1%) United Kingdom 10 (1%) 10 (1%) 12 (1%) Indonesia 8 (2%) 8 (2%) 13 (1%) TOTAL # 22,448 33,605 39,550 Table 4 shows the top five source countries for foreign students in Metro Vancouver, broken down by level of study. Again, the data are for students engaging in programs of study lasting six months or longer and who require student visas. In 2009 Korea and China were top source countries at every level of education, while the United States was a major sender of university level students and Saudi Arabia of other post secondary students. Table 4: Top Source Countries by Level of Study for Foreign Students in Metro Vancouver, 2009 Secondary or Less Trade Top 5 Countries # Students Top 5 Countries # Students Korea 4,255 Korea 3,405 China 1,400 China 970 Taiwan 480 Saudi Arabia 325 Japan 450 Japan 260 Germany 340 Taiwan 150 TOTAL 8,910 TOTAL 5,615

5 5 University Other post secondary Top 5 Countries # Students Top 5 Countries # Students China 5,885 China 2,485 United States 1,985 Saudi Arabia 810 Korea 1,330 Taiwan 460 Saudi Arabia 1,235 Korea 395 Japan 560 Mexico 325 TOTAL 16,715 TOTAL 6,680 International Students in the City of Vancouver At the municipal level the number of foreign students requiring a student visa in City of Vancouver also grew more than 75% over the past decade, increasing from 15,615 in 2000 to 28,055 by 2009 (Table 5). 2 Table 5: Foreign Students in the City of Vancouver, ,615 20,365 20,995 21,195 21,455 22,075 22,315 24,295 24,820 28,055 Table 6: Foreign Students in City of Vancouver by Level of Study, 2009 Level of Study Number (%) of Students Secondary or Less 4,985 (18%) Trade 4,180 (15%) University 12,010 (43%) Other post secondary 5,440 (19%) Other or not stated 1,440 (5%) TOTAL 28,055 2 Note that these are official CIC statistics based on the stated intention of applicants place of residence. The numbers at the municipal level are subject to inaccuracy. Specifically, the number of temporary residents in the City of Vancouver as a proportion of those in Metro Vancouver is likely overstated (see Note on Data section).

6 6 Table 6 and Figure 2 show the breakdown of foreign students (requiring student visas) in the City of Vancouver broken down by level of study. Those attending trade has decreased slightly in recent years. Conversely, the number and proportion of students attending university and other post secondary institutions has grown steadily. In 2009 international students studying at the university level constituted 43% of total foreign students in the City of Vancouver, while students at trade schools were 15%, at other post secondary institutions 19%, and at secondary or less 18%. Figure 2: Foreign Students in City of Vancouver by Level of Study, The top five source countries for international students in the City of Vancouver (for those students required to apply for student visas) have remained the same for the past decade. They are Korea, China, Japan, the United States, and Taiwan. In 2009 there was a surge in the number of students from Saudi Arabia, making it the third highest sending country. The number of students from Saudi Arabia studying in the City of Vancouver has increased nearly ten fold since 2005, growing from 245 students to 2,195 by The top ten source countries for international students in the City of Vancouver are shown in Table 7 and Figure 3.

7 7 Table 7: Top 10 Source Countries of Foreign Students in City of Vancouver, 2009 Country of Residence Number of Students China 7,315 Korea (South) 5,300 Saudi Arabia 2,195 United States of America 1,965 Japan 1,695 Taiwan 1,025 Mexico 760 Hong Kong 6620 India 555 Germany 465 TOTAL 28,055 Foreign students may be able to work while studying in Canada: On campus without a work permit Off campus with a work permit In co op and internship programs, where work experience is part of the curriculum, with a work permit

8 8 Work permits authorize work up to 20 hours per week during regular academic sessions and full time during scheduled breaks. The work permit for foreign students is tied to their study permits (i.e., the work permit is not valid when they are no longer enrolled full time in their academic program). Accompanying spouses and common law partners of foreign students are also eligible to apply for an open work permit. As the number of international students in the City of Vancouver has gradually risen in the past decade, the proportion of those students with work permits has also grown (Figure 4). In 2000 there were 15,615 international students in the City of Vancouver, and 785 (5%) of them had work permits that allowed them to work off campus. By 2009 that number increased to 28,055 students, 4,255 (15%) of whom had work permits (this does not include the number that work on campus and do not require work permits). Figure 4: Foreign Students in City of Vancouver by Permit, Transitioning to Permanent Residency Recent changes have made it easier for international students to remain in Canada after completing their study. In an effort to retain inernational studens, CIC has made the Post Graduation Work Permit Program more flexible. Upon graduation, some international students may now obtain a three year open work permit and are not required to have a Canadian job offer at the time of application. Foreign students may be eligible to apply for permanent residency. One recent pathway to permanent residency for some foreign students is the Canadian Experience Class. According to CIC data, around 1,600 of the 2,080 international students in British Columbia that became permanent residents in 2009 had student visas to study in the Metro Vancouver area.

9 9 Foreign Students Not Requiring Study Permit and/or Visa There are many international students temporarily studying in Vancouver who are not included in the above statistics. These include students who engage in courses less than six months in duration and who are not required to apply for a study permit or visa. Official CIC data put the number of those requiring visas at 39,550 for 2009, but the total number of temporary foreign students studying each year at public and accredited private K 12, post secondary, career college and language institutions in British Columbia is estimated to be as high as 100, ,000 in a given year. According to the Government of British Columbia, it is the top province for attracting international students, with more than 140,000 students from over 165 countries studying at B.C. public or private post secondary and English as a Second Language (ESL) institutions in Approximately 25,000 of them were estimated to be attending a public post secondary institution. 3 The British Columbia Council for International Education (BCCIE) puts the overall number of foreign students in the province in 2009 at just under 100,000. This means that at least 60,000 temporary residents were engaged in study in British Columbia but not counted in official CIC data on foreign students. Preliminary numbers from a study contracted by BCCIE, to be published as the Kunin 2011 report, indicate that a bulk of foreign students, around 91,000, are in British Columbia s Lower Mainland region. Approximately 78,100 of these were estimated to be in Metro Vancouver in 2009, broken down as follows: 19,000 in public post secondary institutions 10,000 in private post secondary institutions 8,100 at the K 12 level in both public and private schools 41,000 in short term language programs (many of them ESL) The BCCIE Kunin 2011 study found that in 2009 the top sending countries for all international students in British Columbia were, by rank: China, Korea, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Mexico, Taiwan, United States, Germany, and Switzerland. 4 3 This is according to the B.C. Minister of Regional Economic and Skills Development. (Source: Moira Stilwell, International Students Boost B.C. s Economy, 15 November 2010, /2010RESD htm). 4 The study was conducted by Roslyn Kunin & Associates, Inc. for BCCIE and will be published in 2011; note that figures presented here are preliminary. Estimates from the Kunin 2011 report are considered conservative, as they only include numbers from regulated private career colleges and educational institutions and do not include students engaging in short term training such as through offshore delivery programs, summer camps, executive training programs, etc.

10 10 Humanitarian Population Most humanitarian temporary residents are Refugee Claimants. Refugee claimants are not permanent residents (immigrants) and are different from immigrants of the Refugee class. They are persons seeking protection in Canada, and if the Immigration and Refugee Board accepts a refugee claimant s claim, that receives the status of protected person. The person may stay in Canada and is eligible to apply to become a permanent resident of Canada. Many humanitarian entries are also granted permanent residency on the basis of pre removal risk assessment or basic humanitarian considerations. In 2009, 965 humanitarian cases became permanent residents in British Columbia, and 780 of them were in Metro Vancouver. Humanitarian Residents in Metro Vancouver Over the past decade the number of humanitarian temporary residents in Vancouver has fallen. In 2001 there was a rise in the number of humanitarian residents, followed by a steady decrease until the numbers rose again slightly in 2008 and According to CIC data, in Metro Vancouver there were 3,235 humanitarian residents in 2009 compared to 5,050 in the year Table 8: Humanitarian Population in Metro Vancouver, ,050 5,310 5,120 4,780 3,700 2,955 2,600 2,470 2,825 3,235 Of the 3,235 humanitarian temporary residents in Metro Vancouver in 2009, 3,075 (95%) of them were refugee claimants. Figure 5 shows CIC data on the gender of age of this humanitarian population. In 2009, 2,130 (66%) of the humanitarian residents in Metro Vancouver were male, and about one third (1,105) were female. The majority (62%) of this population fell in the year old age range. Another 17% were between 15 and 24 years old, and 18% between 45 and 64.

11 11 Figure 5: Gender and Age of Humanitarian Population in Metro Vancouver, 2009 Humanitarian cases arrived in Metro Vancouver from more than 40 countries in Mexico, China, and Iran have continued to be primary source countries for this population over the past decade (see Table 9 and Figure 6). In 2009 the top source country was Mexico, with 840 (26%) humanitarian cases, followed by China (410), Honduras (165), Iran (150), and the United States (120). Since the year 2000 cases from Mexico have had the largest absolute increase, growing from 625 to 840 by On July 14, 2009 Canadian law changed so that Mexican nationals require a visa to travel to Canada, in part because of the increase in refugee claims from that country. The largest decreases over the ten year period were from Iran and China, from 635 and 695 in 2000 to 150 and 410 by 2009, respectively. The largest percent increase has been from the Philippines and Cuba, each growing from around 10 cases in 2000 to 105 and 45, respectively.

12 12 Table 9: Top Source Countries for Humanitarian Residents in Metro Vancouver by Rank (%) Source Country Mexico 3 (12%) 3 (9%) 1 (26%) China 1 (14%) 1 (21%) 2 (13%) Honduras 8 (3%) 5 (4%) 3 (5%) Iran 2 (13%) 2 (10%) 4 (5%) United States 14 (2%) 6 (4%) 5 (4%) El Salvador 6 (3%) 9 (2%) 6 (3%) Philippines 39 (0.5%) 18 (1%) 7 (3%) Colombia 9 (2%) 11 (2%) 8 (3%) Hungary 5 (3%) 12 (2%) 9 (3%) Sri Lanka 7 (3%) 4 (4%) 10 (2%) TOTAL # 5,050 2,955 3,235 Humanitarian Residents in the City of Vancouver Data for the City of Vancouver are similar to those of Metro Vancouver. In 2009, there were 1,880 humanitarian temporary residents in the City of Vancouver, and 96% of them were refugee claimants. This is about the same number present in the city in 2005, but down 32% from the year 2000 (when there were 2,760 humanitarian cases; Table 10). 5 Table 10: Humanitarian Population in City of Vancouver, ,760 3,045 3,025 2,850 2,235 1,845 1,665 1,585 1,830 1,880 The top ten source countries in 2009 for humanitarian temporary residents in the City of Vancouver are shown in Table 11. The top two countries over the past decade have remained Mexico and China, though the number from Mexico has grown (36% increase) at about the same rate that the number from China has fallen ( 46%) since the year Note that these are official CIC statistics based on the stated intention of applicants place of residence. The numbers at the municipal level are subject to inaccuracy. Specifically, the number of temporary residents in the City of Vancouver as a proportion of those in Metro Vancouver is likely overstated (see Note on Data section).

13 13 Table 11: Top 10 Source Countries for Humanitarian Population in City of Vancouver, 2009 Country of Residence Number (and %) of Humanitarian Cases Mexico 535 (23%) China 340 (18%) Honduras 115 (6%) Philippines 75 (4%) United States of America 70 (4%) El Salvador 60 (3%) Iran 50 (3%) Colombia 50 (3%) Sri Lanka 45 (2%) Peru 45 (2%) TOTAL 1,880 IRB Grant Rates According to Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) data, success rates for refugee claims vary widely depending on both the source country and the IRB member hearing the case. Table 12 shows data on the percentage of claims accepted across Canada in 2010 for primary source countries. 6 Table 12: IRB Grant Rates for Refugee Claims in Canada in 2010 Country of Origin # Heard Positive Grant Rate Mexico 2,090 14% China 1,265 60% Honduras % Philippines % United States 355 0% El Salvador % Iran % Colombia 1,090 53% Sri Lanka % Peru % Total in Canada in ,700 49% 6 From 2010 IRB data made available by Sean Rehaag on the Canadian Council for Refugees website: refugee claim data (accessed 28 February 2011).

14 14 Other Temporary Residents The number of other temporary residents those not falling into the categories of foreign worker, international student, or humanitarian case in Vancouver has remained fairly steady over the past decade. In 2009, there were 7,410 other temporary residents in Metro Vancouver. There were 3,995 temporary visitors and 245 other temporary resident permit holders residing in the City of Vancouver (Table 13). Table 13: Other Temporary Residents in City of Vancouver by Status, Status Visitor 2,890 3,270 3,570 3,380 3,640 3,815 4,085 3,930 4,200 3,995 Other TRP holder TOTAL 3,005 3,370 3,690 3,615 3,780 3,995 4,270 4,100 4,380 4,240 The top ten source countries for other temporary residents in the City of Vancouver in 2009 are shown in Table 14. The number of residents from the countries on this list has grown steadily over the past decade in almost every case, except for the case of Japan, whose numbers have fallen slightly. Overall, there has been a 41% increase in other temporary residents in the City of Vancouver over the ten year period, from 3,005 in 2000 to 4,240 in In British Columbia, 2,940 other temporary residents became permanent residents in Table 14: Top 10 Source Countries for Other Temporary Residents in City of Vancouver, 2009 Country of Residence Number (and %) of Residents Korea (South) 915 (22%) United States of America 765 (18%) China 355 (8%) United Kingdom 235 (6%) Mexico 215 (5%) Japan 210 (5%) Saudi Arabia 160 (4%) India 145 (3%) Philippines 145 (3%) Australia 105 (3%) TOTAL 4,240