Regina university student union calls on Sask. gov't to better retain international students

The Saskatchewan NDP introduced University of Regina students during a news conference Thursday to raise criticisms of the provincial government's poor international student retention.

"Our collective goal is to have our international students and workers stay in the province, extend their roots here and pay taxes … for many decades to come," said Navjot Kaur, University of Regina student union president.

Kaur said she spoke on behalf of the 16,000 students at the University of Regina, and called on the provincial government to increase student funding to decrease student debt, lower tuition fees and increase grants and provide better transit and accessibility services.

"The government should also eliminate deferential fees for international students and provide a direct pathway for permanent residency for international students, thus retaining talented and skilled workers in the province," she said. 

Kaur argues both will boost the local economy by opening up the workforce to students and putting their dollars toward local businesses.

According to Statistics Canada data for graduates from 2010 to 2016, Saskatchewan had a high rate of international student retention after one year — 76 per cent — but it had a stark decrease to 53 per cent five years after the students had graduated.

Kaur, who's enrolled in a masters of chemistry program, said she came to Canada hoping for better job security after graduation but has since found issue with meeting that goal in Saskatchewan.

When she searched for jobs in health care and pharmacy research, Kaur said she found careers that most aligned with her education in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia.

"I would really like to stay in the province if I get a good job here," Kaur said.

Right now, she's working at McDonald's.

The NDP criticized the provincial government for the worst provincial immigrant retention rates west of Atlantic Canada.

"With Scott Moe at the wheel, new families and immigrant workers — doctors, tradespeople — are leaving," NDP leader Carla Beck said.

Provincial Immigration Minister Jeremy Harrison fired back when asked a question about immigration during a news conference at the Saskatoon Airport.

He called the NDP's record "horrendous," and referenced the loss of overall population between when the NDP gained power in 1991 and lost power in 2007.

Harrison touted the province's population growth and credited "international immigration, and that is largely the result of the success of our provincial nominee program — our provincial immigration program — which the NDP never had."