This special feature is brought you in partnership with Passage.
Canada offers a vivid example of how a change in policy settings for international students can lead to a dramatically different context for international recruitment. The cap on foreign enrolment introduced in January 2024 sets a limit on each Canadian institution’s capacity to receive international students. This means every admissions team now has to manage against that ceiling – a goal that has been made even more challenging by the historically low approval rates for study permits in recent years.
The focus for many institutions has therefore shifted to a more careful evaluation of student eligibility, and to driving better conversion rates for qualified prospects. “International education in Canada has entered a more disciplined era,” says Chief Business Officer Saif Iqbal, “where quality is defined by student-institution fit, great student outcomes, and strengthened public support for the contributions of international talent. Passage is designed for this new era.”
A new model for a new era
Backed by a rigorous applicant screening process, Passage carefully matches qualified international students with Post-Graduate Work Permit (PGWP)-eligible programmes that are aligned with real labour-market needs. Students are selected for their suitability for their intended programme of study, but also for the quality and scale of opportunities available to them after graduation. Successful applicants are provided with loan financing to cover tuition – and, optionally, first-year living costs – and with additional services to support them through graduation and beyond. Each also receives a document called a “PASS”. This is a verifiable certificate issued by Passage. It confirms that a student has passed a rigorous, multi-step evaluation and has been approved for financing to cover tuition fees and/or living expenses while studying in Canada.
The model hinges on recruiting for fields of study where graduates are in high demand. Eligible programmes for the current Passage cohort, for example, include healthcare, early childhood education, skilled trades, cybersecurity, data science, and network engineering.
By building recruitment around great outcomes for graduates, the model helps to drive student performance and programme completion. It eases any government or community concern around the progress and impact of participating students. And it provides successful applicants with funding during their studies and access to real professional opportunities at graduation – opportunities that are also helping to address real labour market needs in the Canadian economy.
“Every great outcome for a Passage-supported student becomes a testament to the value of international talent,” says CEO Martin Basiri. “A student’s potential should never be decided by where they are born. At the same time, there are businesses and communities across the country that are demonstrably short of qualified graduates. We are here to help close that gap.”
The proof
The first Passage cohort was selected in 2023 from a pool of tens of thousands of applications, each of which was assessed not only for academic readiness but for financial capacity, compliance, and labour-market fit before receiving a PASS.
“We are extremely proud to say that 97% of the students in our first cohort have now successfully completed their programmes,” adds Mr Basiri. “But they’re not just getting to graduation: more than half made the Dean’s List.”
Perhaps just as tellingly, nearly nine in ten of those graduates (87%) were employed within six months of completing their studies. On average, Passage-supported graduates find a full-time role in their field within four months of graduation.
“In terms of spending on tuition and living expenses, the direct economic impact of our first cohort is estimated at more than CDN$8 million per year,” explains Mr Iqbal. “But we also project a further employment impact of roughly CDN$520,000 per year for every 10 graduates, based on current wage data.”
An invitation
Building on the extraordinary performance of its first graduating cohort, Passage is now actively expanding its global partner network, with an open invitation to both recruitment partners and institutions to contact us to learn more about how we can work together to provide a unique, outcomes-focused pathway to study in Canada.
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