Canada is fast becoming one of the best countries for international students to study. This is due to the numerous employment opportunities available in the county and the ease to gain permanent residence (PR) and citizenship status.

Emma Tran, a third-year international student at the Conestoga College in Ontario, spoke to U.S. News about her experience studying for a bachelor’s degree in public relations. As an individual who is keen on learning new thing and experiencing newer cultures, Tran said her decision to study in Canada was largely influenced by this.

The Canadian government reported that in 2018, over 720,000 foreign students at all educational level chose Canada as their preferred country of study—breaking the record for the largest foreign student population in the country.

Canada is a very peaceful country with a hospitable culture that is best suited to foreigners. According to Andy J. Semotuik, a director of immigration at an Ontario firm, Pace Law Firm, he added that the country’s policy promotes multiculturalism and the need for diversity in universities supports this motion.

Therefore, if you are searching for foreign countries to school in, here are some of the reasons why Canada should be top on your list when getting an undergraduate or graduate degree.

1. Easy opportunities for gaining work, study permit, and residency.

Due to the growing number of recruitments for international students, Canada provides ample opportunities for foreign nationals to study and work simultaneously. This greatly improves their chances of gaining permanent residency upon graduation.

Most foreigners who plan on studying in Canada require a study permit and not just a visa. The Student Direct Stream (SDS) program was initiated in 2018 by the Canadian government to give students from specific countries access to quick study permits. The program was recently extended to cover students from Pakistan, Morocco and Senegal.

According to a spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada, the SDS program has drastically reduced the time it takes to process applications—with countries like the Philippines, China, Vietnam and India having their applications concluded in under three weeks.

Additionally, Canada allows foreign students to be gainfully employed while studying. In Canada, postgraduation work permits have a duration of about two or three years, depending on how long the individualstayed in the country as a student, says Semotiuk.

Furthermore, when compared with the United States, Canada has a much clearer path for students to obtain permanent residence and eventually citizenship. Generally, having a postgraduation work experience of one year automatically qualifies a foreign student for permanent residency under either the Federal Skilled Worker program or the Express Entry program, says Semotiuk.

An international student can acquire a PR card within a year and obtain Canadian citizenship within three years, added Semotuik.

Canadian PR card renewal is also easy to achieve as all that is required is a screening by the immigration authorities based on a number of fixed residency requirements.

2. High demand for international students

The Canadian government is making heavy investments into its new educational strategy for internal students worth 150 million CAD over the next five years. The strategy entails increasing the number of recruitments for international students in the country.

According to the CEO and co-founder of AppyBoard, Martin Basiri, the Canadian government understands that majority of its international students are Indian and Chinese nationals—that is why it is dedicating a large sum of money towards promoting a more diversified educational system.

Canada is concentrating its efforts on regions with an enormous and developing middle class that have challenges catering to the needs of all students requiring quality tertiary education, says Basiri. Colombia, Philippines, Ukraine, Turkey, Thailand, France, Mexico, Vietnam, Indonesia and Brazil are among the priority nations for the international student’s program.

Canadian Universities are equally making efforts to increase its foreign student population and Jock Phippen, student’s admission and recruitment director at York University acknowledges the school’s effort in attracting more international students. York University now has various regional managers who are skilled at carrying out recruitments and admissions for students in major markets such as China, Africa, Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

Also, the University of Toronto noted that in 2018, the school’s scoutstravelled to over 24 countries, said VP worldwide, Ted Sargent.Around 23 percent of the school's students are foreigners representing over160 different countries and over the past five years, international students’ applications at the university have increased by 103%.

3. Scholarship opportunities

Almost everywhere in the world, obtaining scholarships as an international student can be very difficult, especially as an undergraduate. However, it is important for prospective students to know that the Canadian government offers fully-funded scholarship opportunities from various universities.

For instance, the government funds the CA$50,0000 per year Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships program and both foreign nationals and permanent residents are eligible to apply. The scholarship program runs for a duration of three years for those undergoing doctoral studies in health,natural sciences, social sciences and humanities, or engineering.

The University of British Columbia budgets over CA$30 million every year from private sources to give research grants, scholarships, academic awards, and fund career growth initiatives to exceptionalforeign undergraduate students, said Clare Hamilton-Eddy, a university representative.

Other Canadian universities that offer scholarships to international students include the York University, the University of Toronto and the University of Waterloo.