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By Stuart Neatby and Bala Yogesh

Most international students planning to make a new life in Canada after their graduation are instead returning home in frustration due to confusion about immigration programs and a lack of coordination between provincial and federal governments, experts say.

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That is as federal immigration officials are increasingly declaring students from abroad to be the country’s preferred stream of immigrants.

The number of international students studying in B.C. each year has grown to over 136,000. More than 350,000 international students were enrolled in schools across Canada at the end of 2015.

The number of international students graduating in the country rose from 30,723 in 2010 to 53,142 students in 2014.

According to a 2015 survey by the Canadian Bureau for International Education, 59 per cent of international students viewed the potential of permanent residency as a deciding factor in their decision to study in Canada. Another survey by the B.C. Council on Admissions and Transfer found that 63 per cent of international students in B.C. intended to remain in Canada after graduation.