Canada looks to to Asia Pacific amid national “policy vacuum”
Speaking at the 2026 Asia Pacific Association for International Education conference (APAIE) in Hong Kong, Karen Dalkie, vice president, development and partnerships of the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE), said the sector is still adjusting to sweeping changes introduced by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) in early 2024.
“Between December 2023 and this November 2025 international student numbers dropped by about almost 30%, and arrivals into Canada between January to November of 2025 fell by nearly 60% compared to the year before,” said Dalkie.
Beyond enrolment data, the reputational impact has been significant.
“Canada also lost its long held position as the top preferred destination due to global perceptions that Canada was closing its doors. This shook confidence globally. It caused application declines, major pressures across institutions and communities, and real challenges for employers who rely on student talent,” she said.
Recalibration has been sharp for the institutions that had built financial models around sustained inbound growth. But Dalkie said the turbulence has also prompted deeper structural thinking.
“This moment has also forced institutions to rethink their reliance on inbound growth and look towards more diversified models of global engagement.”
Rather than focusing solely on attracting students to Canadian campuses, institutions are exploring transnational education (TNE), shared delivery and regional partnerships.
“The questions we’re hearing now are very different from even two years ago. We’re hearing, how can we deliver more programming in region? How can we build multi-country models? And how do we stay engaged in the Asia Pacific, even while IRCC targets tighten?”
As a nation with deepening Indo-Pacific ties, institutions in Canada are looking to anchor their strategies more firmly within Asia Pacific networks. Dalkie argues that the country still offers a strong partner proposition for institutions across the region.
Canada brings a distinct values based partner proposition. We bring strong public institutions, rigorous quality assurance, a collaborative rather than extractive approach, commitments to EDI and indigenous engagement and high academic integrity.
Karen Dalkie, Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE)
“Canada brings a distinct values based partner proposition. We bring strong public institutions, rigorous quality assurance, a collaborative rather than extractive approach, commitments to EDI and indigenous engagement and high academic integrity. Our partnerships are grounded in trust, reciprocity, transparency and sustainability.”
While Canada is considered late to scale in TNE across Asia Pacific compared to some peers, the pivot is accelerating. But, the shift is unfolding without an overarching federal roadmap, explained Dalkie.
“Canada indeed operates in a national policy vacuum. Our last federal international education strategy ended in 2024 and there is no sign of a new one coming anytime soon.”
Some provinces are developing their own approaches, but Dalkie warned that “this patchwork does not replace the need for a cohesive national strategy”.
CBIE continues to call for renewed federal strategy, particularly as Canada’s outbound mobility remains low.
“While we are fully committed to reciprocal partnerships, we also know that Canadian outbound student mobility remains the lowest in the OECD, largely because Canada does not yet have a major government funded program supporting study abroad participation at scale.”
That imbalance affects how reciprocity is perceived by partners, said Dalkie, even as Canadian institutions signal stronger intent for engagement.
“Canadian institutions may not be pursuing large branch campuses, but they are deeply interested in co-developed programs and shared delivery partnerships, joint research ecosystems that stay active regardless of visa or mobility constraints.”
Dalkie stressed that diversification for Canada’s sector is no longer optional. “IRCC’s policy shifts and study permit caps didn’t create the need for diversification, but they absolutely accelerated it,” she said. “Shared delivery models, co-designed, co-delivered and regionally networked offer practical, student-centric paths to resilience, reciprocity and deeper Asia Pacific partnership.”
“Canada remains committed to the meaningful engagement in the Asia Pacific, and CBIE stands ready to work alongside with all of you to build strong, resilient, future focused partnerships for our students and our systems that the world needs,” Dalkie told delegates gathered at the Hong Kong conference.
Fortunately, there are indications the most turbulent phase may be passing for Canada’s higher and international education sector.
In late 2025, CBIE launched a pan-Canadian brand strategy to ensure a coordinated national approach to rebuild confidence in the sector. It sought to build a new national narrative on the value international students bring to Canadian campuses, businesses and communities as both temporary residents and as prospective future citizens.
“Canada is open, and we are seeing some early signs of recovery, applications, approvals and enrolments are slowly rising again, and the policy environment is starting to settle. We do not anticipate any major new changes to the international student program or the post graduate work program in the near term.”
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