Early earnings trajectories of international students after graduation from postsecondary programs: evidence from Canadian administrative data

ABSTRACT Using two administrative datasets, this study investigates the role of various pre-graduation characteristics in accounting for earnings differences between international and domestic students during their first five years after graduation from Canadian postsecondary institutions. It demonstrates that international students earned less than domestic students when they worked in Canada after graduation. Fewer years of pre-graduation work experience and lower levels of pre-graduation earnings among international students accounted for most of their observed disadvantage in post-graduation earnings. We discuss possible interpretations of the results and the implications in reducing the earnings gaps between international and domestic students after graduation.