In a survey conducted among over 2,000 educations agents from 119 countries, Canada emerged as the most popular study destination being recommended by 55% of education agents in 2019 compared with 48% in 2018 in spite of the perceived difficulty of obtaining visas particularly for work and travel study programs.
The ICEF i-graduate Agent Barometer reveals that the 2019 survey represented an unusually large sample size for a qualified agent survey with agents highly recommending undergraduate and graduate studies, followed by English language and diploma programs. The agents’ program recommendations are as follows:
| Top 15 Recommendations | Programs | Percentage of Referring Agents |
| 1 | Undergraduate Program | 78% |
| 2 | Postgraduate Program | 74% |
| 3 | English Language Program | 68% |
| 4/5 | Diploma Program MBA Program |
60% 60% |
| 6 | University Foundation Program | 59% |
| 7 | Pathway Program | 58% |
| 8 | Pre-Master’s / Postgraduate Qualifying Programs (PQP) Program | 45% |
| 9 | Secondary and High School | 44% |
| 10 | Vocational Diploma and Further Education Program | 43% |
| 11 | Certificate / Foundation Program | 41% |
| 12 | Other Language Program | 30% |
| 13 | Work & Travel / Study Program | 27% |
| 14 | Cultural Exchange Program | 16% |
| 15 | University Distance Education / Online Learning Program | 13% |
The survey results validate the growing optimism among education counsellors for Canada as a study destination. Canada currently sits as the fourth biggest destination for international students and has continued to attract interest among agents, students and their parents. In the past few years, the country’s immigration laws have made it easier for students to come to Canada for their education requirements and have made the study experience memorable.
