Author: The Record
Published April 30, 2024

Research group to study international student transition to permanent residency in Sherbrooke’s English community

By William Crooks

Local Journalism Initiative

The Social Research and Demonstration Corporation (SRDC), a non-profit organization dedicated to social research, is collaborating with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) on a study focusing on the transition of international students in Canada to permanent residency.

The study particularly emphasizes the experiences of students in Official Language Minority Communities (OLMCs) such as Sherbrooke, a city with a notable population of former students from Bishop’s University and Champlain College who have transitioned to permanent residency, according to an April 25 release.

The SRDC’s research seeks to understand the factors that influence international students’ decisions to remain in Canada. To gather comprehensive data, the organization is conducting a survey and follow-up interviews with international students at Bishop’s University (BU) and Champlain College. These efforts aim to uncover the motivations and challenges these students face when deciding to settle permanently in Canada.

The findings from this research are expected to be instrumental in shaping immigration policies and initiatives designed to attract and retain international talent in communities like Sherbrooke.

Participants in the study, which has received ethics approval from BU, will complete a brief, five-minute survey to express their interest, followed by a semi-structured interview lasting between 60 to 90 minutes. As a token of appreciation for their participation, they will receive a $50 gift card.

The SRDC encourages international students to engage in this important study by visiting this survey link: https://ca1se.voxco.com/SE/99/Transition/

A one-page brochure with more details about the project is available for interested parties.

More from Project Manager Julie Rodier

“There are two types of OLMCs,” explained Rodier in an interview with The Record April 30. These are either French language communities in majority English provinces, such as Moncton, New Brunswick, or vice versa, such as Sherbrooke’s English community.

The study’s goal is to find out if international students’ experiences in OLMCs are different than those of international students outside OLMCs. Many studies have already been done on the latter, and though this study is small (only Sherbrooke and Moncton), the SRDC is hoping to find out what challenges, opportunities, and factors play into international students’ decisions to stay in or leave OLMCs in Canada after their schooling.

Rodier said they already know that many students already have it in their heads that they will stay when they come here. Others decide during the course of their studies. The main factor playing into a student’s decision to stay is whether or not they can find a good job, “that is associated with their experience, education, and expertise.”

Other factors include whether or not there is a better quality of life in Canada than their country of origin, whether their schooling experience was positive, how welcoming the community has been, and whether there is the possibility to work in their language of choice in the OLMC.

“[IRCC data shows] only about 50 percent of [English-speaking] international students that obtain permanent residency in Quebec stay in Quebec,” Rodier continued. Some 35 percent end up moving to Ontario, with the other 15 percent moving to somewhere else in English Canada. “We want to know why,” she added.

The SRDC survey questions and interview will focus on the four stages of the participant’s “journey”: Arrival in Canada, integration into the community, experience at school, and afterwards. Interviewers will ask what the participant was thinking at each stage to get an idea of some of the potential “barriers” at play.

Rodier admitted that Sherbrooke and Moncton are “quite different.” Each community will be looked at separately, but also compared to tease out commonalities. New Brunswick is a bilingual province, so she thinks it is likely easier to live and work in French there. On the other hand, some recent Quebec policies, like the need to learn French, “may be changing people’s motivations.”

Results of the study will be compiled, analyzed, and turned into a report that will inform future IRCC policy. She emphasized that no participant’s name or identifiable information will be passed along in the report.

The report will be comprised of “high level themes” of what they found in the interviews combined with existing data present in the relevant literature. Rodier noted that information gathered like this (in interviews) is “qualitative” and will be roughly grouped according to similarities in content. “Most people mentioned this, some people mentioned this, one person mentioned this,” she explained.

Rodier encourages those who wish to know more to contact her by email at: jrodier@srdc.org      

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