'Canada remains the top choice for international students with open permits and less restrictions. Besides, excellent education in this country is recognized worldwide. Known as the "Land of Opportunity," Canada is accessible and filled with a thousand adventures.'
To study abroad is now a fast-growing trend.
A strong indicator is that lots of former labor recruitment agencies in the Philippines find collaboration with universities and other academic institutions abroad a more marketable and profitable industry.
And social media catches on. On Facebook, for instance, there are hundreds advertising, offering assistance and scholarships, particularly in Canada. Acceptance to a university comes with a chance to legally work while studying in the host country. What more can an international student ask for?
The ambitious, career-driven and determined ones come back to the Philippines after studies bringing with them better opportunities and prospects. Equipped with a competitive edge in the job market upon return, employers favor them with the experience and competence acquired from cross-cultural immersion.
Others who opt to stay after their academic pursuit easily get settled and manage to immediately enhance and enrich themselves.
Not only for the young
The desire to study abroad is not only for college-level youth.
Vida, a Filipina gainfully employed in another country and already in her late 30s, a wife and mother, was lured by social media to give it a shot. After seeing that she has what it takes — prerequisites and financial capability — to apply, Vida directly applied for admission to the Centennial College's School of Community and Health Studies in Toronto, Ontario.
Already, Vida was a Mass Communication graduate from the Lyceum of the Philippines when recruited to work in Qatar. She was an office manager of a manpower deployment firm in Qatar then but, in her mind, obtaining another degree would open more avenues for her and her family.
Without second thought, she, the husband and pre-school-aged son flew to Canada to pursue her dreams.
Not surprising for a diligent Filipino student abroad, Vida displayed her mettle and graduated with high honors.
No. 1 In The List
There were a couple other Filipino students currently enrolled in universities in Canada we interviewed. They admitted also considering countries other than Canada, but this country seemed more encouraging when it comes to after-study prospects.
As of this year, Canada remains the top choice for international students with open permits. Excellent education in this country is recognized elsewhere in the world.
Known as the "Land of Opportunity," Canada is accessible and filled with a thousand adventures. Aside from academic quests, there are so much to explore. Students are assured of a safe and stress-free environment. Not surprising, those from tropical countries effortlessly get acclimatized to its four-season weather.
On top of this, the government is really big on preserving the country's natural beauty, clean surrounds, efficient transport system, and well-placed healthcare infrastructure.
As affirmed by Ottawa-based Philippine Ambassador to Canada, Maria Andrelita S. Austria, there is a steady influx of Filipino students in 2023.
The total could well be in the vicinity of 300,000 now from the estimated 250,000 in 2022. Significantly, there is a marked increase in the issuance of open permits to study abroad.
Exponential Growth
Statistics Canada shows that of the more than 621,000 Filipino arrivals in 2021, a great part of this are students, an unprecedented jump to more than 1,000 percent since 2015.
Ambassador Austria averred that in 2015, only 1,800 student permits were issued for Filipinos coming to attend schools in Canada.
In November of 2022, "over 20,000 student permits na for that 11-month period so we can see that the growth of the Filipino student community in Canada is exponential," the envoy added.
No Mean Feat
Limited scholarships are granted to foreign students. Therefore, the family back home has to fully support the student's academic requirements and living expenses. The cost of living in Canada is relatively more affordable than that in the United States or elsewhere.
In an interview, a doctor back home sent wife and daughter to study in Vancouver. He had to shell out at least P2 million a year for each them.
Statistics Canada reveals that the average expense of a student is equivalent to not less than P800,000 annually, depending on which province they choose.
For those who can afford to allot millions for academic advances, sending children and loved ones to study abroad is no mean feat.
(Editor's Note: Second part enumerates countries that are among the top choices of Filipinos in gaining academic advances.)
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