A Statistics Canada report reveals that in 2019, about 25% of study permit holders were not enrolled in a publicly funded post-secondary institution. With increasing focus on the impact of international students on Canadian life, this study, conducted by Youjin Choi and Feng Hou, aims to understand what these non-enrolled students were doing in Canada. Of the 717,300 students holding post-secondary study permits in 2019, 24% (172,152) did not enroll in post-secondary institutions. The Longitudinal Immigration Database and the Post-secondary Student Information System data showed that 54.5% (93,822) of these unenrolled students were in Canada and engaged in other activities. A third of these students, who also held work permits, worked full-time. Although students in co-op programs often hold both work and study permits, the industries that unenrolled students worked in do not support the theory that they were primarily co-op students.
