Reasons to study in Canada
Rema Menon reports on the positive new developments for international students.
Rema Menon reports on the positive new developments for international students
Canadian Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Joe Volpe announced new initiatives to better attract, integrate and retain international students in regions throughout the country recently.
In partnership with provinces and territories, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is expanding two pilot initiatives to help make Canada a destination of choice for international students.
The first will allow international students at public post-secondary institutions to work off-campus while completing their studies so that they can experience the Canadian labour market and gain a wider understanding of Canadian society.
The second will allow students to work for two years, rather than one year, after their graduation. This second initiative will apply outside Montréal, Toronto and Vancouver to help spread the benefits of immigration to more of Canada's regions.
The government of Canada is investing $10 million a year for five years to support this announcement.
Through past pilot projects and agreements with CIC, some provinces have already experienced the success of the initiatives, which are now being expanded throughout Canada.
"We have been listening to our stakeholders and are certain that these initiatives will help increase the global competitiveness of Canada by attracting and retaining more international students to our schools," said Volpe.
"International students who choose to stay in Canada after they graduate greatly contribute to our labour market. It is important that they be exposed to the Canadian work force at an early stage to increase their chances of success following graduation.
"Whether they choose to stay in Canada or return to their home country, they will have acquired Canadian experience and values that will enrich their lives.
"They will also spread the word about the quality of education Canada has to offer," he added.
CIC has also made other adjustments to its international study programme.
For example:
- Post-secondary international students can now transfer between programmes of study and institutions without applying for a change to the conditions of their study permit. Secondary-level international students can now obtain longer high school study permits.
- As of May 16, international students who meet the eligibility criteria for a second year of postgraduation employment will be issued a two-year work permit. For these students, the two-year work permit will only be valid for one year since they will have already completed their first year of postgraduate work.
- As with existing pilot projects, the off-campus work initiative will be implemented bilaterally in each province and territory, following agreements with CIC.
These new initiatives are bound to have a positive impact on the students from this region who are considering moving to Canada for their higher education.
For more details log on to the CIC website www.cic.gc.ca.
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