Toronto, January 28, 2010 — The acceptance rate for Indian students coming to study at a group of Canadian colleges has doubled thanks to a new program between Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) and the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC). The announcement was made today by Member of Parliament Tim Uppal, on behalf of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney, and by James Knight, President and CEO of the ACCC.
A joint pilot project called the Student Partners Program was launched in April 2009 between Canada’s visa offices in India and twenty member colleges of the ACCC. The goal of the program is to increase the approval rate for study permit applications at participating Canadian colleges.
“The Student Partners Program has resulted in an increase in the number of Indian students on our college campuses,” said Minister Kenney. “International students bring with them new ideas and experiences and contribute both financially and culturally to the communities and institutions where they study.”
In 2008, India ranked seventh with 3,244 people in terms of source countries for students.
The total number of international students in Canada has more than doubled since 1998 to 178,000 and their presence provided employment for over 83,000 Canadians last year. A 2009 study commissioned by Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada found international students contributed more than $6.5 billion to the Canadian economy in 2008.
“International students contribute to the cultural life and economic success of colleges and institutes and of the communities they serve. In partnership with CIC, we have doubled the approval rate of visas for students from India coming to Canadian colleges. We will work with CIC to expand the initiative to other ACCC members,” said Mr. Knight.
During the first nine months of the launch of the program, CIC’s visa offices in India received over 4,000 applications in the program. The program has successfully met its objective: the approval rate for the first group of students under the program coming to study this past September was more than double the approval rate for the same colleges the preceding year. Furthermore, 95 percent of the students remain in good standing at an ACCC college. Processing times within the program are faster than the global norm, with an average of about two and a half weeks.
The program has several checks and balances, from requiring applicants to provide verifiable documentation, to a feedback mechanism where colleges report back on whether students show up. The safety, security and health of Canadians are of the utmost importance. All students who come to Canada through the Student Partnership Program must adhere to the same screening requirements as any visitor or student.
“This type of program benefits both our country and those who participate in it,” said Minister Kenney. “When all is said and done, these graduates may remain in Canada and apply to immigrate under the Canada Experience Class. They would make Canada their home and continue to contribute to our country’s social and economic fabric.”
Canada’s network of community colleges offers many outstanding programs to train young Canadians and their counterparts from around the world for the opportunities of today's economy.
The Government of Canada will continue to look at ways to encourage international students to study in Canada.
For further information (media only), please contact:
Media Relations
Communications Branch
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-952-1650
CIC-Media-Relations@cic.gc.ca
Quebec Offers Fast-Tracked Canadian Citizenship to International Students
By:Kathleen Legris
In a move that may be designed to take advantage of Australia's and Britain's recent problems in the Indian-student market, Quebec is offering Canadian citizenship to international students who graduate from any university in the province.
The province's premier, Jean Charest, who is leading a delegation of university heads on a visit to India, told students and experts at the University of Mumbai on Monday that, beginning on February 14th, international students who graduate from universities in Quebec would get "a certificate of selection" that would put them on a fast track to Canadian citizenship.
According to The Times of India, Charest told the packed house that, "Any student who secures a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree from any university in Quebec will obtain a certificate of selection to become a citizen of Canada.” Mr. Charest said that once foreign students had the certificate, the federal government would then carry out security and health checks before awarding citizenship.
The premier's announcement may encourage Indian students to think about Canada, especially in the wake of recent issues in two popular countries of study. In Australia, racial violence against Indian students has increased, and the sudden closure of four colleges left thousands of Indian students without credentials, while in the U.K., a report over the weekend revealed that British authorities had temporarily suspended all student-visa applications from northern India, Nepal, and Bangladesh. According to the British Broadcasting Corporation, British officials feel the system has been overwhelmed and there are concerns that many cases are not genuine.
The move by Quebec reflects a broader national interest in focusing on India. Canadian universities appear to be showing an increased interest in strategic engagement with India, and Quebec universities, like their counterparts in other provinces, already have a number of partnerships with Indian institutions.
A pilot project run by Canadian immigration authorities and community colleges to speed up applications from India has doubled the acceptance rate, according to a report released by the government in late January. It showed that processing visas took an average of about two and a half weeks. The program is designed to uncover any fraud with a variety of checks, including a requirement that applicants provide verifiable documentation and a feedback mechanism in which colleges report back on whether students show up.
Additionally, the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) recently published a guidebook designed to assist universities and colleges in identifying good practices for recruiting international students in India.
In a move that may be designed to take advantage of Australia's and Britain's recent problems in the Indian-student market, Quebec is offering Canadian citizenship to international students who graduate from any university in the province.
The province's premier, Jean Charest, who is leading a delegation of university heads on a visit to India, told students and experts at the University of Mumbai on Monday that, beginning on February 14th, international students who graduate from universities in Quebec would get "a certificate of selection" that would put them on a fast track to Canadian citizenship.
According to The Times of India, Charest told the packed house that, "Any student who secures a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree from any university in Quebec will obtain a certificate of selection to become a citizen of Canada.” Mr. Charest said that once foreign students had the certificate, the federal government would then carry out security and health checks before awarding citizenship.
The premier's announcement may encourage Indian students to think about Canada, especially in the wake of recent issues in two popular countries of study. In Australia, racial violence against Indian students has increased, and the sudden closure of four colleges left thousands of Indian students without credentials, while in the U.K., a report over the weekend revealed that British authorities had temporarily suspended all student-visa applications from northern India, Nepal, and Bangladesh. According to the British Broadcasting Corporation, British officials feel the system has been overwhelmed and there are concerns that many cases are not genuine.
The move by Quebec reflects a broader national interest in focusing on India. Canadian universities appear to be showing an increased interest in strategic engagement with India, and Quebec universities, like their counterparts in other provinces, already have a number of partnerships with Indian institutions.
A pilot project run by Canadian immigration authorities and community colleges to speed up applications from India has doubled the acceptance rate, according to a report released by the government in late January. It showed that processing visas took an average of about two and a half weeks. The program is designed to uncover any fraud with a variety of checks, including a requirement that applicants provide verifiable documentation and a feedback mechanism in which colleges report back on whether students show up.
Additionally, the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC) recently published a guidebook designed to assist universities and colleges in identifying good practices for recruiting international students in India.
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