The company officially opened its Toronto base on September 27 with an event to celebrate the brand new GEA Canada Toronto HQ.
An invitation to the ceremony read: “With the opening of GEA Toronto office, there’s no doubt that we will be able to provide with students more integrated services from school recommendations to settling-down in Canada.”
It follows a tumultuous few months for international education in the country, with Canada further tightening its cap on international student places as well as adding new criteria for students to comply with before they can apply for a PGWP.
GEA believes opening an new office in Canada will be a positive move for the business, despite widespread fears in the sector that the future of international education in the country is bleak.
GEA anticipates a high demand for expert student recruitment services due to geopolitical shifts, policy changes, and the push-pull factors influencing the movement of international students
Sylvester Chen, GEA Canada
“GEA anticipates a high demand for expert student recruitment services due to geopolitical shifts, policy changes, and the push-pull factors influencing the movement of international students,” general manager at the GEA Canada Office, Dr Sylvester Chen, told The PIE News.
“It is also evident that the Canadian post-secondary sector has become aware that recent CAP/PAL and PGWP changes have deterred many international students from choosing Canada. GEA is in an ideal position to educate potential students about studying in Canada and the opportunities for living here after their studies.”
The news of GEA’s new offices in Toronto comes hot on the heels of its announcement in July that it had expanded into Cambodia, with the Phom Penh office opening under country manager Lynet Pidor.
At the same time, it revealed it would be providing a foundation program (GEC) in Business to students around the world – backed by the central government-driven Hainan Lingshui Lian International Education Innovation Experimental Zone.
“The Hainan project is incredible in scale, and we are privileged to be able to work alongside universities like Glasgow, Coventry, Alberta and a host of others in delivering our programs. These meet the need of students to stay close to home while having a full international learning experience,” GEA CEO Freeman Yeung said at the time