A third of all international students studying in Canada in 2013 were from China, according to the most recent data retrieved from the Government of Canada.

Out of the total 300,000 international students in Canada in 2013, almost 96,000 were Chinese.

“The numbers should be even greater,” said Xiaoshu Li, Second Secretary at the education office of the Chinese embassy. The statistics did not include the large number of Chinese students who come for short-term exchanges because “Canada focuses on those who come with study permits,” said Li.

“It’s not surprising,” said Jennifer Humphries, Vice President of Public Policy and Communications at the Canadian Bureau for International Education. “It’s rather natural that China is a major sending country, given the population of China.”

Compared to other countries like the United States, the number of outgoing Chinese students to Canada is not a big figure, said Li.

In 2013, Canada attracted the most students from these top five countries (in order from greatest to least): China, India, South Korea, France and Saudi Arabia.

But life isn’t easy for these students who enter Canada for the first time. “There are certain culture shocks,” said Hal Guo, a University of Ottawa freshman who came to Canada two years ago from China. “Pushing the button and ringing the door – I didn’t know that.”

When he first arrived, Guo was living with a host family that didn’t provide meals. For the first time, he had to do groceries and cook for himself. “The stove in their kitchen was so different, I just couldn’t cook,” he chuckled.

The University of Ottawa’s data on international students enrollment reflect the government data.

Chinese international students are by far the number one to enroll into the university in 2013, according to data from the university’s Institutional Research and Planning.

The university has invested heavily in China to encourage Chinese international students’ mobility to Canada.

“When it comes to attracting students from China to come to Carleton, Queens, University of Manitoba, […] I think the focal point is the way that Canadian institutions have promoted themselves more,” said Humphries. “They have done a good job individually in these countries.”

The total number international students to Canada have been steadily increasing year after year.

However, South Korea is the only country on the top five list to see a significant drop in numbers.

In 2000, South Korea was the top sender of international students to Canada. By 2007, the South Korean international students numbers doubled to 30,000, but dropping South Korea to second place on the list. By 2013, that number dropped down to 19,000.

“That’s really quite interesting,” said Humphries, looking at the decreasing numbers from South Korea. “Canada is not the only country seeing this.

According to Humphries, the United States is also seeing a lower number of South Korean students.

“It’s something that we’re monitoring and keeping an eye on,” said Humphries.

“Tuition in Canadian post-secondary institutions used to be much less than the US,” said Yang Gyun Chung, Senior Researcher at the Korean embassy. “But it’s not the case anymore.”

Another reason may be that big Korean companies like Samsung and LG used to prefer graduates from foreign post-secondary institutes, said Chung. “They don’t recognize their foreign education experiences as highly as before.”

However, the embassy stated that they were still in the speculation stage concerning this decrease.

According to University of Ottawa’s president of the Korean student association, out of the 15 to 20 Korean students joining the club this year, only five are international students.

“It’s a bit difficult for international students who came alone (to Canada) like me,” said Lacey Kim, president of the association. “It’s the fact that they don’t really adjust well in the Canadian community that the outcome is they join the student association.”

South Korea placed third in 2013, after India which saw a whopping 1,500 per cent increase in international students since year 2000.

The Saudi Arabian international students count increased by nearly 4,000 per cent since year 2000. It joined the top five list in 2013.