The retention of international students to their place of study upon permanent resident status

International students have become an increasingly important source of permanent migration in meeting regionalization policy goals. However, little is known about their retention to their place of study after they transition to permanent resident status. Using data from the Longitudinal Immigrant Database (IMDB), this study examines how elements of international students’ preimmigration experience in Canada are related to their retention when they later become permanent residents in Canada. Results show that length of study and region of study are positively associated with the likelihood of international students landing in their place of study. Conversely, higher Canadian educational attainment and Canadian work experience prior to landing increase chances of international students landing somewhere outside their place of study in Canada. Policies designed to evenly distribute landed international students could focus more on time spent during their studies and those with trade certificates as criteria that would encourage their retention at landing.