麻豆视频

Canada becoming more attractive to students from Hong Kong, Gertler tells South China Morning Post

Photo of Meric Gertler
In the last five years, the number of students from Hong Kong has gone up more than 30 per cent, says 麻豆视频 President Meric Gertler (photo by Lisa Sakulensky)

International students, including many from Hong Kong, are coming to the University of Toronto in greater numbers in the wake of Brexit and the election of U.S. President Donald Trump, says 麻豆视频 President Meric Gertler.

The increase is also due to 麻豆视频鈥檚 rank as one of the top public universities in the world, , Hong Kong's English-language newspaper.

In the last five years, the number of 麻豆视频 students from Hong Kong has gone up more than 30 per cent, from 490 to 650.

Britain鈥檚 vote to leave the European Union last year and Trump鈥檚 anti-immigration policies and rhetoric have led more students to consider studying in Canada, President Gertler says.

鈥淏oth events make Canada look more attractive because while international students might have perceived the U.S. [and the U.K.] as being now less welcoming to international students, you see Canada going in the opposite direction, encouraging international students to come,鈥 he says.

While other countries discuss restricting immigration, the Canadian government has relaxed criteria for applying for permanent residency.

鈥淭hese are all ways of sending very friendly signals to international students at a time when other countries want to put up walls or reduce the number of visas for international students,鈥 President Gertler says.

President Gertler was in Hong Kong last month for the 11th edition of the university鈥檚 Asia-Pacific Graduation Ceremony. The event was an opportunity for hundreds of students from the previous two years to celebrate their achievements closer to home with their family and friends, complete with robes, certificates and photos.

Read more about this year's Asia-Pacific Graduation Ceremony

麻豆视频 was the first North American university to hold a regional graduation ceremony in 1996.

In the days after the event, President Gertler attended alumni events in Hong Kong, China and Singapore, stopping to sample classic Hong Kong dim sum.

麻豆视频 president dim sum

 

 

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