Transnationalism and the Production of South Korean Education Migrants in Canada.

Education migration has been increasing significantly during the last six decades. Each year since 2001, Canada has received over 130,000 students from abroad and one of the top source countries is South Korea. In the last decade there has been a significant trend of increasing numbers of younger foreign students in Canada and other English-speaking countries. South Korean transnational families mobilizing abroad for their children’s education have a strong presence in various aspects of Canadian society yet few studies have been conducted to understand this phenomenon from micro to macro levels. Thus, our analysis is three-pronged. Firstly, we explore 1) how the phenomenon of education migration for minor students and accompanying mothers has been produced by home and host countries in their social policies and legislation and 2) how this new transnational family arrangement impacts the family functions and relationships in Canada and 3) how the young education migrants fare in the Canadian school system.