Canada Student Partners Program SPP Continues to Attract Indian Students

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(OPENPRESS) July 8, 2011 -- Until April 2009, there was a big concern among Canadian colleges and universities of not getting students from India as most of the visas were being rejected by the Canadian High Commission, New Delhi. The Student Partners Program (SPP) commonly termed as Students Partnership Program by the students and study abroad consultants in India was implemented in partnership between the Canadian High Commission and the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC) and is attracting a good number of students from all over India and is fast emerging as a preferred destination for higher education for overseas students not only from India but from the entire globe.

The number of Indian students enrolled in Canadian universities and educational institutions has steadily grown from 3,000 in 2008 to 18,500 in 2010, according to the Canadian High Commissioner, Stewart G Beck. Primarily, Indian students used to choose places like Vancouver in Canada because of its favourable nature, mild climate and the Indian community stronghold. But, now Indian students are breaking grounds and heading to colleges in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and other cold provinces. Also, Canada’s progressive immigration policies and employment opportunities is turning it into a favourable destination choice for Indian students. Canadian universities offer diverse programmes that range from Commerce to Astronomy, Biology to Fine Art, Media Studies to Theology. Currently, universities and educational institutions in Canada offer more than a 1000 undergraduate and graduate programmes.

The students are cautioned to submit applications on time by 01 August for September intake and by 01 December for January intake while applying under SPP (Student Partners Program). It needs to be noted that SPP students apply to the participating college rather than the program.

To elaborate, SPP was started as a pilot project with plans to test a model for expediting the student visa process and delivering higher approval rates while maintaining program integrity. All Study Permit application checklists have been revised and improved as a result of the SPP framework to help students make simpler applications and Canadian High Commission informed decisions.

Tejal Laul, Director of Kampus Landing a leading overseas education consultant from Gujarat says, “There is a northward trend on the number of Indian students showing interest in studying in Canada. SPP requires students to have IELTS scores only. TOEFL is not valid for filing student visa under SPP though the students are eligible to file under general category. Strangely, even the Canadian colleges and universities prefer IELTS and students with TOEFL score find very few choices. We have experienced almost 100% success rate with IELTS but somehow students filing under general category with TOEFL scores have been scrutinized closely by Canadian High Commission and even the brightest of the students have faced rejection. You are strongly advised to file under Student Partners Program and avoid filing with TOEFL scores under general category.”

Further, Tejal Laul says, “The quality of education is very good in all community colleges and one should not rush just to Toronto or Vancouver, there’s a lot of advantages studying at provinces in Quebec and Manitoba. The students’ Canada PR application is fast tracked if filed under Provincial Nominee Program. Colleges offer unique “co-operative education programmes” that allow students to work while studying. Apart from regular courses such as a Bachelor’s in Business Administration (Accounting/ Financial services) and Bachelor’s in Sciences, a few even offer new-age courses — Animal Health Technology, Geology, Financial Services Management, Office Administration Certificates, Basic Musicianship, Intercultural and International Studies, Professional Writing, Stagecraft, Performing and Fine Arts, Associate of Arts degree — to name a few. Students studying under government-funded institutions can get up to a three-year work permit, leading to permanent residency. Finance, banking and investment are the emerging fields in Canada and present a promising future in the country. Jobs in Computer Science offer good pay and there is ample job opportunity for talented and skilled professionals. Aerospace, Urban Transport, Microelectronics, Advanced Software, Hydroelectric and Nuclear Power, Lasers and Opto-electronics, Biotechnology, Food and Beverage Processing, Geomatics, Ocean and Environmental Industries are other lucrative courses on offer. Typically, most universities offer four-year undergraduate programmes. The degree awarded is general or specialised. An Honours (bacca-laureate) programme may be harder as more courses have to be completed in the same period of time, compared to a regular Bachelor’s programme in the same discipline. Community colleges and technical institutes in Canada offer programmes that enable students to get a job by meeting the needs of employers or industry.”

Regarding mature students applying under SPP, Tejal Laul says, “Canada welcomes mature students’ applications, one can file at the age of 35 but should have a genuine reason to study at this age in Canada. If the mature student is not able to provide ample of evidence, the application is more likely to be rejected. We have had several applications between 30 and 35 which have successfully received Canada student visas under SPP and are presently studying in Canada.”

On the question on ethics of study abroad consultants in India, Tejal Laul says, “The study abroad consulting industry in India is not regulated like China and UAE where study abroad consultant needs a license by the Ministry of Education to operate. The Indian Government needs to regulate the study abroad consulting industry and save hundreds from being duped by unscrupulous agents.”

She adds, “After successfully experimenting SPP in India, Canadian government has initiated the Student Partners program SPP in China. There are already 50,000 students from China studying in Canada and the number is expected to grow tremendously.”

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Professional Free Press Release News Wire

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Post Grad Work Permit Program Expanded

Image via WikipediaOperational Bulletin 262 – January 31, 2011
Launch of a Pilot Program to Expand the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program for International Students Graduating from Designated Private Post-Secondary Institutions in British Columbia

Summary

Effective January 31, 2011, the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program (PGWPP) has been expanded to include international students who have completed career training programs of eight months or longer at select private educational institutions in British Columbia.

Issue

Under a two-year Pilot Program with British Columbia, the PGWPP has been expanded to include international students graduating from select British Columbia Education Quality Assurance (EQA)-designated private post-secondary institutions in programs of eight months or longer.


IMPORTANT: All work permits (WP) issued under this Pilot Program must be coded as indicated below (see Special Program Code under System Instructions) to support an effective evaluation of the Pilot.

New Pilot Parameters

This Pilot will be in effect between January 31, 2011, and January 31, 2013, inclusively and may be extended with a mutual agreement between the parties. These dates refer only to the period in which qualifying WPs can be issued and not to the duration of the WPs. The terms of the Pilot will apply only to qualifying foreign nationals who have graduated from eligible programs of study at select EQA-designated, private post-secondary institutions in the province of British Columbia (see list under Eligible Institutions).

Pilot Procedures

All of the general eligibility criteria, conditions of the WP and processing procedures for the PGWPP will continue to apply in conjunction with the following guidelines for the Pilot Program:

A) Eligible Participants

Applicants wishing to participate in this Pilot Program must meet the following additional criteria to qualify for a WP:

· Must have graduated from one of the EQA-designated private post-secondary institutions in the Province of British Columbia designated by the Province of British Columbia as eligible institutions for the purposes of this Pilot which are listed below “Eligible Institutions” during the validity period of the Pilot Program; and

· Must have completed a program of study that is at least eight months in length and received a degree, diploma or certificate upon completion. Furthermore, only career training programs will qualify for this pilot. General interest courses, or programs of study that consist primarily of English or French as Second Language instruction will not qualify.

B) Eligible Institutions

The following EQA-designated institutions have been named by the Province of British Columbia as eligible institutions under this Pilot Program:

· Degree-Granting Institutions: Alexander College; Columbia College; Fairleigh Dickinson University Vancouver; Quest University Canada; Sprott-Shaw Degree College; Trinity Western University; University Canada West; and

· Non-Degree Granting Institution: Arbutus College of Communication Arts, Business and Technology; Ashton College; Centre for Arts and Technology; Eton College; John Casablancas Institute of Applied Arts; Mountain Transport Institute Ltd.; MTI Community College; Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts; Sprott-Shaw Community College; Stenberg College; Vancouver Film School.

C) Post-Graduation Work Permit Issuance

· Consult section 5.24 of Overseas Processing (OP) 12 Manual – Students.

· Use labour market opinion (LMO) exemption code C-43 in conjunction with paragraph 205(c)(ii) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations in support of the “competitiveness of Canada’s academic institutions or economy.”

· Verify the eligibility of applicants pursuant to existing procedures to ensure that they meet the requirements of the pilot and the broader PGWPP.

· Issue an open or open/restricted (depending on medical examination requirements, if applicable) WP to eligible applicants.

D) System Instructions

Special Program Code: Officers are required to use the NEW Special Program Code “ISP” (the long description is International Student Pilot Program for B.C.) in FOSS, GCMS, CAIPS, or, for inland processing, in the drop-down menu in the CPC system under “Special Programs”, for applicants meeting the requirements of the Pilot. The use of this special program code is mandatory and it will be important for statistical research, evaluation and policy development purposes.

E) Validity and Duration

A WP issued under this Pilot, like any other issued under the PGWPP, may be valid up to a maximum of three years depending on the duration of the program of study. If the program of study is two years or more, the student may be eligible for a three-year WP. Should the program of study be less than two years but at least eight months, the student may be eligible for a WP lasting for a period equal to the duration of the studies. For example, if the student graduated from an eight-month certificate program, he or she may only be eligible for a WP of an eight-month duration.

F) Program Integrity Monitoring

To remain eligible to participate in this Pilot, an institution must continue to maintain its EQA designation and comply with the guidelines of the Pilot and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) and its Regulations. In circumstances where an institution loses its EQA designation, the Province of British Columbia will notify Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) and the graduates of the institution in question will no longer be eligible for the Post Graduation WP as of the day the institution loses its EQA status. However, in the interest of administrative fairness, all applications received by CIC before the date of the EQA revocation, will be processed accordingly.

Note: An institution may be removed from participating in this Pilot if that institution is found to be non-compliant with the Pilot’s guidelines and/or IRPA and its Regulations.

G) Program Evaluation

Ongoing monitoring and evaluation will be performed in partnership with the Province of British Columbia to determine the success of the Pilot Program.

H) Further Information

For additional information relating to the PGWPP, please refer to the CIC website atwww.cic.gc.ca/english/study/work-postgrad.asp.

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Emigrate to Ontario under the Provincial Nominee Program

Since February 2009, the Ontario Pilot Provincial Nominee Program (Pilot PNP) has been known as Opportunities Ontario: Provincial Nominee Program.

As with other Canadian PNPs, Opportunities Ontario is employer driven. You may only apply if your employer is pre-screened, the position is approved and your employer provides you with a nominee application package from Opportunities Ontario.

You will need to submit your application to the province first and then apply for a permanent resident visa through Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) as a Provincial Nominee, once Ontario approves your application.
Applicants to the Opportunities Ontario program can apply under one of five categories:

• Foreign Workers (General Category)
• Investors
• Students with a Job Offer
• PhD Graduates
• Masters Graduates

Foreign Workers (General Category)

Skilled workers may be able to apply to Opportunities Ontario under the general category if:

• Their prospective employer has first applied for a pre-screening of a position
• The position has been approved
• Their prospective employer has sent an approval letter, a signed Joint Verification form and a Pre-screen Position form
• However, the three points above are not a guarantee of approval. To be eligible, you also need to:
• Have at least two years of work experience within the previous five years in the intended occupation, or have appropriate registration in Ontario (NB: Unpaid, unathorised or volunteer experience will not be accepted)
• Have an approved, permanent full-time job offer in a skilled occupation (NOC 0, A or B)
• Have been offered a wage that meets the prevailing wage level for the intended occupation
• Have legal status if you are already residing in Canada

Please note that after the issue of your employer pre-screen approved position form, you have 60 days to submit your application to Opportunities Ontario.

For more information on how to apply under the Foreign Worker (General Category) stream, please review the Application Guide for Nominees.

Investors (General Category)

The Investors stream allows companies making an investment in Ontario to recruit or relocate key employees to ensure the long-term success of their investment.

Recruited or relocated employees under the Investors category must meet the same eligibility requirements as those under the Foreign Workers (General Category).

Review the brochure of information for investors for additional information on how to apply.

Students with a Job Offer (International Student Category)

Ontario employers can extend permanent, full-time job offers to international students who have completed their post-secondary education at a publicly-funded Canadian institution. These students can then be eligible to apply for an Ontario Provincial Nomination Certificate.

In order to apply under the International Student Category, you must:

• Have completed at least half of your studies in Canada, and have graduated or will soon be graduating from an eligible publicly funded Canadian college or university (NB: You must send proof of graduation with their application)
• Have completed a minimum of a two-year diploma or degree program, while studying on a full-time basis. One-year post-graduate degree programs and certificate programs, which require a previous degree or diploma (which may have been obtained abroad), are also eligible
• Have a job offer in a managerial, professional or skilled trades occupation (NOC 0, A or B). The job offer does not have to be related to the field of study.
• Have a job offer that is permanent and full-time and meets the entry level wage for the occupation, rather than the prevailing wage required for applicants in the General Category
• Apply within two years of the date on which you received your degree or diploma, or in the alternative, during the last semester of completing your degree or diploma
• Have legal status, if you are already residing in Canada
• Have received your employer’s approval letter, signed Joint Verification and Pre-screen Position form

International student applicants do not need to have any previous work experience. You may apply for an approved position from within Canada or from overseas.

PhD Graduates (International Student Category)

Candidates under this part of the International Student Category must have obtained their PhDs from an Ontario publicly-funded university and do not need a job offer to be eligible for the Opportunities Ontario Program.

To apply under the PhD Graduates stream, you will not require a job offer.However, you will need to:

• Have graduated from an existing PhD program at an eligible publicly funded university in Ontario, or
• Have successfully completed all degree requirements for the program (i.e completion of course work and successfully defended your thesis and are awaiting the granting of your degree) and have completed at least two years of your PhD studies at an eligible publicly funded university in Ontario
• Apply within two years of the date on which your PhD degree was granted
• Have legal status, if you already are residing in Canada

Masters Graduates (International Student Category)

As with applicants under the PhD Graduates Stream, Masters Graduates do not require a job offer from an Ontarian employer.

However, to apply for the Opportunities Ontario PNP as a Masters Graduate, you must:

• Intend to live and work in Ontario
• Have graduated from an existing Masters program at an eligible publicly funded university in Ontario
• Have completed a minimum of one academic year degree program, while studying on a full-time basis
• Apply within two years of the date on which your Masters degree was granted, or in the alternative, during the last semester of completing your degree
• Currently be residing in Ontario
• Have legal status in Canada (i.e. study permit, work permit, temporary resident visa)
• Demonstrate high official language proficiency (For English language proficiency – IELTS – General test with a minimum score of seven or higher) (For French language proficiency – TEF – with a minimum score of five or higher)
• Demonstrate a minimum level of savings/income to support yourself and your dependants
• Demonstrate at least one year of residence in Ontario in the past two years

If you plan to apply under the International Student Category, via the PhD Graduates stream or Masters Graduates stream, you should review the Application Guide for International Graduates (PhD and Masters.

Source: Muchmore Magazine

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Today’s international students are tomorrow’s immigrants to Canada

Image via WikipediaBy Juliana Tonello

International students are looked at as prospective immigrants by not only the federal government, but also immigration experts across the country. Many of these students are also expected to become business owners, once they settle down in the country upon becoming immigrants. That’s the expectation anyway. And, in anticipation, the country has begun attracting the world’s best and brightest students, offering them a fast track to permanent residency status.
“They [international students] will match the essential roles in business in the future,” said Ontario’s Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Eric Hoskins at a recent symposium. “Our labour market is an international one.”
Other experts also believe that making this strategy the foundation for immigration sets Canada apart from other countries that attract international students. Experts at the conference organized by the World Education Services (WES), including representatives of the government, educational institutions and settlement agencies, discussed the possibilities at the Symposium on International Students: The New Skilled Migrants.
However, Canada, which annually receives around 85,000 international students per year, is still behind the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France and Australia on the market share.
“We need to provide appropriate supports for those intending to become permanent residents,” says Timothy Owen, director of WES, a foreign credentials evaluation organization, citing it as a reason for the relatively smaller influx of international students in Canada. “They will study here, like what they see and stay. They will be ideally positioned to become part of a highly skilled Canadian workforce.”
However, educational institutions must focus on the needs of each province and offer courses that will help fill the jobs that are vacant due to a lack of qualified people in certain specialized professions.
“There are many people without jobs and jobs without people,” says Philip Steenkamp, British Columbia’s deputy minister of advanced education and labour market development. In B.C., 1.1 million jobs are expected to be created in the next 10 years, and immigrants are expected to fill a third of those jobs.
“People with specific skills will be essential,” notes Steenkamp.
The lack of Canadian work experience faced by immigrants is highlighted as a continuing concern by educational experts, who believe that barrier will remain unchanged for a long time. “Skilled work plus Canadian education plus work experience is the key for the Canadian job market,” says Catrina Tapley, of Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
Some advantages for international students to break this barrier are programs offering off-campus as well as post-graduate work permits. Tapley believes that work permit and co-op programs are of vital importance to international students who aim to become Canadians. Another good reason, according to her, is immigrants with previous Canadian work experiences earn approximately $10,000 per year more than skilled immigrants.

http://canadianimmigrant.ca/settlingincanada/immigrationlaw/article/7891

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"Changes to application requirements under the Federal Skilled Worker and Canadian Experience Classes", focus on business immigration - September 2010

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• Canada
• September 28 2010
• 

Introduction   
The Minister of Citizenship and Immigration has the authority to issue instructions regarding the processing of immigration applications. Pursuant to Ministerial Instructions issued on June 26, 2010 (the “MI”), the Minister introduced the following changes:

1. an annual limit to the number of applications to be processed in the Federal Skilled Worker (“FSW”) class;
2. removal of the FSW category for temporary foreign workers and international students living in Canada for one year;
3. a revised list of NOC code occupations eligible for FSW priority processing; and
4. mandatory testing for language proficiency for FSW and Canadian Experience Class (“CEC”) applicants.  

The MI affects all applications received by the Centralized Intake Office (“CIO”) in Sydney, Nova Scotia on or after June 26, 2010. All applications received by the CIO prior to that date will be processed according to the Minister’s instructions issued on November 28, 2010. (Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Operational Bulletin 218 – June 28, 2010 [“OB”], online at Operational Bulletin 218).
Category Cut
The MI eliminates the FSW class of applications for temporary foreign workers and international students living in Canada for one year. As such, skilled workers are limited to applying under the FSW class categories for applicants with arranged employment offers (“AEO”), and applicants with experience in the last ten years under one or more of the list of eligible NOC code occupations (“NOC List”). Applications received by the CIO on or after of June 26, 2010 must meet the criteria of either of these two categories to be placed into processing (OB).
Cap on Processing
Exclusive of AEO applications, a maximum of 20,000 FSW applications will be considered for processing each year. Within that 20,000, an annual maximum of 1,000 applications per NOC Code will be considered for processing. Applications will be considered in order, by the date of receipt, with applications received on the same day being considered in accordance with routine office procedures. The first year of cap calculations runs from June 26, 2010 to June 30, 2011. Subsequent years will be calculated from July 1 to June 30 unless otherwise indicated in future MIs (OB).
Revised NOC List
The MI reduced the number of occupations eligible for the FSW program from 38 to 29. The occupations removed from the list include managers in finance, health care and construction, computer and information systems, university professors and vocational instructors. Occupations added to the list include: psychologists; social workers; dental hygienists; pharmacists; dentists; architects; biologists; insurance adjusters; claims examiners; primary industry production managers (except agriculture); and professions in business, services and management. Applicants must have one year of continuous full‐time or equivalent paid work experience in at least one of the listed NOC codes, and not combine partial year experience in multiple NOCs on the List (Canada Gazette Part 1, June 26, 2010, n. 3 at 1670 [“Gazette”]).
The complete list is as follows (Gazette at 1670‐ 1671):

• 0631 Restaurant and Food Service Managers
• 0811 Primary Production Managers (Except Agriculture)  
• 1122 Professional Occupations in Business Services to Management  
• 1233 Insurance Adjusters and Claims Examiners  
• 2121 Biologists and Related Scientists  
• 2151 Architects  
• 3111 Specialist Physicians  
• 3112 General Practitioners and Family Physicians  
• 3113 Dentists  
• 3131 Pharmacists
• 3142 Physiotherapists
• 3152 Registered Nurses
• 3215 Medical Radiation Technologists
• 3222 Dental Hygienists & Dental Therapists
• 3233 Licensed Practical Nurses
• 4151 Psychologists
• 4152 Social Workers
• 6241 Chefs
• 6242 Cooks
• 7215 Contractors and Supervisors, Carpentry Trades  
• 7216 Contractors and Supervisors, Mechanic Trades  
• 7241 Electricians (Except Industrial & Power System)  
• 7242 Industrial Electricians  
• 7251 Plumbers  
• 7265 Welders & Related Machine Operators  
• 7312 Heavy‐Duty Equipment Mechanics
• 7371 Crane Operators  
• 7372 Drillers & Blasters ‐ Surface Mining, Quarrying & Construction  
• 8222 Supervisors, Oil and Gas Drilling and Service  

Applications on Humanitarian and Compassionate Grounds
FSW applications accompanied by a request for processing on humanitarian and compassionate grounds must be identified for processing under the MI in order to be processed (i.e. the application must meet the AEO or NOC List category requirements to be eligible for processing) (Gazette at 1671).
Language Proficiency
As of June 26, 2010, all FSW and CEC applications must be accompanied by the results of the principal applicant’s English or French Language Proficiency Assessment in order to be considered for processing. Only test results from a designated third party language testing agency will be accepted (Gazette, n. 2 at 1670). Currently, there is a two‐month waiting list for examinations in Alberta, so applicants are advised to book well in advance of submitting their application.
Summary of Application Requirements
Applicants must submit the completed application forms, together with all supporting documents (i.e. those listed on both the CIO and visa office specific document checklists). The CIO will review the application for completeness. If the application is incomplete, the entire package will be returned to the applicant.
To be eligible for processing, FSW applications received by the CIO on or after June 26, 2010 must:

1. meet the criteria of either the AEO or NOC List categories;
2. be accompanied by the results of the principal applicant’s language proficiency assessment; and
3. not exceed the identified caps.

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