“A question of self-interest” - A brief history of 50 years of international student policy in Canada

Oct 15, 2026

A brief history of international student policy in Canada since 1970 is presented through a periodization approach. The research draws on archival materials from seven public post-secondary institutions in British Columbia and Ontario, provincial and federal governmental discussions, and scholarly writing in the Canadian Journal of Higher Education. Four key periods are identified: differential fee emergence in the 1970s, institutional recruitment efforts in the 1980s–1990s, active government recruitment in the 2000s, and later priority bifurcation amid rising scholarly critique.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

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“A question of self-interest”: A brief history of 50 years of international student policy in Canada Abstract This article offers a periodization of the history of international student policy in Canada since 1970. It draws on archival sources at seven public post-secondary institutions in British Columbia and Ontario, as well as governmental discussion in both provinces and at the Federal level, and scholarly writing about international students within the Canadian Journal of Higher Education to construct this history. Four key periods are identified: the emergence of differential fee policies in the 1970s; an era of institutional recruitment efforts in the 1980s and 1990s; a period of active government recruitment in the 2000s; and an era of bifurcating priorities as governments expanded their recruitment efforts but scholars began to question the international student project in Canada. The article shows changes in international student policy over the past half-century, but also reveals continuities, most notably a sustained emphasis on serving Canada’s perceived national interests. Keywords: international students, internationalization, differential fees, history of higher education, Canadian Journal of Higher Education Résumé Cet article propose une périodisation de l’histoire des politiques relatives aux étudiants étrangers au Canada depuis 1970. Il s’appuie pour ce faire sur les archives de sept établissements d’enseignement postsecondaire publics de la Colombie-Britannique et de l’Ontario, sur les discussions gouvernementales dans les deux provinces et au fédéral, ainsi que sur les articles savants de la Revue canadienne d’enseignement supérieur portant sur les étudiants étrangers. Quatre périodes clés ressortent : l’émergence des politiques de frais différentiels dans les années 1970; une phase d’efforts de recrutement au sein des établissements dans les années 1980 et 1990; une phase de recrutement actif de la part du gouvernement dans les années 2000; et une bifurcation des priorités lorsque les gouvernements ont intensifié leurs efforts de recrutement et que les chercheurs se sont mis à remettre en question le projet relatif aux étudiants étrangers au Canada. Cet article pointe des changements dans les politiques relatives aux étudiants étrangers au cours du dernier demi-siècle, mais il révèle aussi des éléments de continuité, notamment dans l’accent mis sur le fait de servir ce qui est perçu comme les intérêts nationaux du Canada. Mots-clés : étudiants étrangers, internationalisation, frais différentiels, histoire de l’enseignement supérieur, Revue canadienne d’enseignement supérieur Introduction This article offers a new periodization of the last half-century of international student policy. It does this by tracing—both at the institutional and governmental level, and in the academic literature, especially the Canadian Journal of Higher Education (CJHE)—policy discussion regarding international undergraduate students. It chronicles and offers some explanation for the seismic changes in the way international students are thought about and treated in Canada. The article begins when the Canadian Society for the Study of Higher Education (CSSHE) did, in an era when international students were seen as targets for charity, grateful sojourners who Canada should fund so that they returned to their country of citizenship as agents for Canadian Cold War foreign Canadian Journal of Higher Education | Revue canadienne d’enseignement supérieur 51:3 (2021) policy. It concludes in an era when international students are seen as wealthy cosmopolitans, and most Canadian post-secondary institutions depend on the billions of dollars international students bring to Canada every year. This article is not a story of progress, nor of decline; it is a history that shows the deep roots and complex motivations of contemporary international student policy, and the ways in which it is enmeshed in nation-building effor

FAQs

What time span does the article cover for international student policy in Canada?

The article periodizes international student policy in Canada since 1970, describing the last half-century.

What sources does the article use to construct its history?

It draws on archives from seven public post-secondary institutions in British Columbia and Ontario, governmental discussions at the provincial and federal levels, and scholarship published in the Canadian Journal of Higher Education.

Which four key periods does the article identify?

It identifies four periods: differential fee policies in the 1970s; institutional recruitment efforts in the 1980s and 1990s; active government recruitment in the 2000s; and an era of bifurcating priorities as recruitment expanded while scholars questioned the project.

Oct 15, 2026

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