Travel and VISA restrictions because of COVID-19 has meant enrolment of international students is significantly down in both North and West Vancouver school districts this year, resulting in a loss of almost $10 million.
But the good news is numbers aren’t down as far as administrators first feared and there are hopes the numbers will rebound.
In West Vancouver, enrolment of international students is about 60 per cent of normal this year - there are 308 international students enrolled in West Vancouver schools this year, compared to 525 last year.
That’s better than the 280 students the district was anticipating would be back.
But the difference has still meant a drop of about $3.5 million in revenue from international student fees.
Over half of the international students in West Vancouver come from China. Significant numbers also come from South Korea, Japan and other Asian countries.
In North Vancouver, it’s a similar story: 290 international students are enrolled this year, compared to 625 last year – below 50 per cent of normal. That’s also a significant drop, but better than the more pessimistic projection of 230 fee-paying students the district thought might return.
The decrease in North Vancouver's international students meant a drop of $6.2 million in fees from international students.
Students who are enrolled this year already had their permits and some were already in the country when COVID-19 travel restrictions hit in the spring.
Currently the biggest practical challenge is a huge backlog of permit applications, which were frozen by the federal government when the first wave of the pandemic hit. Students are facing between 13 and 27 weeks to get a permit, making it unlikely a large number will arrive in the middle of this school year, said Chris Kennedy, West Vancouver schools superintendent at a recent public board meeting. Making sure students all have willing homestays in the midst of a pandemic is another challenge, he said.
But there are some hopeful signs, said Kennedy. In West Vancouver, administrators have already approved 75 applications from students for the next school year beginning in September 2021. “Those are students from 13 different countries,” said Kennedy. “There is some pent up demand.”
As of Oct. 20, international students who have already been granted study permits are also allowed to enter Canada, so it is possible this year's numbers could still grow.
Both North and West Vancouver school districts had to revise their budgets in June when it became clear the COVID-19 pandemic would have a big impact on international students.
Those students - who come from countries around the world and pay up to $16,000 in tuition to study in local public schools - have been a mainstay in North and West Vancouver school districts for decades.
In terms of local enrolment, numbers in North and West Vancouver school districts are holding steady this year.
In West Vancouver, the equivalent of 6,949 full-time students enrolled in public school this year.
Many elementary schools are operating near capacity, said Kennedy. Ecole Pauline Johnson is now the largest elementary school in West Vancouver with 440 students. Numbers are also up at schools like Caulfeild and Gleneagles.
In North Vancouver enrolment is up slightly over projections, to 15,333 students.
Numbers of English Language Learners in North Vancouver are down by about 36 students, said superintendent Mark Pearmain, owing to immigrant families not being able to get into the countries because of COVID-19 visa restrictions.
Numbers of students in distributed learning – who take high school classes online – is expected to be up by 50 to 60 students when a final tally is done in February.
