Canadian public school boards recruit foreign students to boost coffers

TAMARA BALUJA

From Saturday's Globe and Mail

Cash-strapped public school boards across the country are looking far outside their catchment areas – and even across oceans – to fill empty seats in classrooms and solve chronic funding problems.

Recruitment of foreign students to study alongside Canadian kids in kindergarten to Grade 12 is intensifying as school boards realize that parents abroad are eager for their children be educated in Canada, and willing to pay $10,000 to $14,000 a year in tuition for the privilege. Many boards have marketing directors to visit educational fairs around the world.

Patricia Gartland, international marketing director for the school district in the Vancouver suburb of Coquitlam, brought in $16-million – 6.5 per cent of the district’s operating budget – last year by attracting foreign students. B.C. leads the pack with about 14,000 international students in 2008, but Ontario, Alberta and Quebec are also popular.

Ontario’s ministry of education said the province’s public schools generated more than $40-million in tuition fees last year.

In Edmonton, tuition fees provide roughly double what the provincial government contributes for each domestic student in Alberta, said Ann Calverley, supervisor of the local board’s international education program. About 70 per cent of the tuition fees are used to help pay for teacher salaries and language classes for new immigrant students, she added.

A 2009 study commissioned by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade put the number of international students in Canada’s public schools at 35,000 in 2008 – an increase of 44 per cent from 1998. In addition to injecting millions of dollars into the school boards, foreign students contributed $700-million to the Canadian economy in 2008.

While B.C.’s education ministry encourages school districts to offer international programs, individual boards of education make the final decision. “At the end of the day, the success of these programs is based on the efforts the districts have made to promote, implement and operate them,” said George Abbott, B.C.’s Minister of Education.

But Susan Lambert, president of the B.C. Teachers’ Federation, said this extra cash is creating a two-tiered public education system. “Some school boards are making a lucrative profit, while others are surviving on a pittance.”

She adds that international students cannot be considered a stable source of revenue. “Public education cannot be funded in this manner … something that can wane and ebb with the economic times.”

Ms. Garland credits a targeted marketing approach to Coquitlam’s success in luring students from the Asia-Pacific region. “Most people don’t think they want to come to Canada and study in Coquitlam, of all places… in fact, I bet most people haven’t even heard of us.” She said she focuses on regions that have direct flights to Vancouver, and uses immigration opportunities and Canada’s position as a global education leader as selling points. The school boards also help the foreign students arrange accommodation, often for an additional price, and generally facilitate their integration into Canada.

In Montreal, international students have provided Lester B. Pearson School Board with a solution for vacant school properties. Seigniory Elementary school, which was closed in 2006 due to declining enrolment,was converted into a dormitory for 96 international students, each paying around $11,500 a year to attend classes. A second school is set to undergo the same transformation.

Sonic Vheng, a Grade 11 student who has been studying at Pearson board since 2010 and lives in the Seigniory dormitories, said he enjoys going to school in Canada.

“I want to go to university here, and it’s a much better education here than in China,” he said.

Ontario’s public schools reported more than 3,300 international students in the 2009-10 school year. The Toronto District School Board hired Barbara Brown as its marketing director in 2010.

“Our biggest asset is that we have this ethnically diverse community, so many international students will feel comfortable here,” said Ms. Brown, the board’s chief enrolment officer.

Dasha Boichenko, who came to Canada from Kazakhstan in 2008 to attend Grade 10 in Coquitlam, said she had not planned to stay for more than a year, but felt comfortable here and chose Simon Fraser University for post-secondary.

“I have a certain level of stability here in Vancouver. Moving somewhere else meant I would have to start all over again,” she said.

Americans flee north to Canada for economic opportunity

As the US economy worsens, Americans seek jobs in Canada.

John FerriSeptember 8, 2011 06:03

TORONTO, Canada — Usually, you hear stories of people fleeing to America, not the other way around.

But the jittery state of the U.S. economy is driving an increasing number of its citizens to seek better prospects north of the border.

Americans are the latest economic refugees, and they’re heading to Canada.

Canada: Naked in the streets

As he prepares to campaign for re-election, U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to make a speech Thursday night that calls for immediate stimulus spending to create jobs and improve infrastructure. 

But those reforms will be difficult to make. Republicans, who control the House of Representatives, have resisted any efforts to boost the economy through additional spending.

Canada: Pension debate heats up 

As life in the U.S. worsens, prospects in Canada seem all the brighter.

Canadian officials say the number of Americans applying for temporary work visas doubled between 2008 and 2010. 

Immigration lawyers in Toronto and the border city of Windsor, right across from job-starved Detroit, say they’re seeing a dramatic growth in clients seeking to come to Canada to work, or even as permanent residents.

So, is this a reversal of fortunes on an historic scale? Has Canada become "el Norte"?

Well, not quite. The number of U.S. citizens working in Canada is, at least by global migration standards, relatively small with some 30,000 at the beginning of last year. 

Still, Americans make up the second-largest group of temporary workers in Canada, behind only Filipinos, most of whom work as nannies.

Canada was one of the few to escape the 2008 financial meltdown relatively unscathed, a turn of events largely attributed to Ottawa’s long-standing refusal to deregulate the banking sector.

“I’m looking for a quiet, calm, sane, civilized society to start the next phase of my life,” said Michael, an out-of-work, white-collar professional from Michigan who is seeking a temporary visa to come to Canada.

Like several others interviewed for this article, he did not want his full name used for fear of drawing unwanted scrutiny to his application.

Though he describes himself as both patriotic and a conservative, Michael says he’s lost faith in U.S. leadership — “on both sides of the aisle” — for failing to stem the excesses that led to the collapse of Wall Street, and for the current political brinkmanship over the debt ceiling.

“I’m looking for a country where the first role of the government is to protect its citizens,” he said. “It looks to me like all [of Canada’s] three major political parties seem to have proven that they are much more responsible than our leadership.”

Workers like Michael are drawn to Canada’s lower unemployment rate — 7 percent in July compared to 9.1 in the U.S. — and sustained economic strength in major centers such as Toronto, which alone attracts an estimated 100,000 new arrivals a year.

These include not only people with temporary work visas, or those seeking permanent residency, but also increasing numbers of university students, drawn by highly-ranked Canadian schools where tuition, even at 3 or 4 times the rates for Canadians, is still a fraction of what it costs to attend many colleges in the U.S.  

John Cameron’s mother lost her senior position at a bank branch in Maine in 2009 at the same time he was trying to finalize his choices for his freshman year in college.

He had his eye on American universities such as Loyola, University of Maryland, Columbia and Fordham. 

His father, thinking about the finances, suggested the University of Toronto. Cameron was reluctant, but now he’s a Canadian convert. 

”I really love it,” he said. “[It’s] hands-down one of the best schools in North America.”

Toronto has also become home to a couple in their mid-30s from New York City who both lost their full-time jobs in Manhattan in the wake of the 2008 crash. They now live in Canada on temporary visas.

“It’s important for us to live in a place with a lot of diversity and a good cultural sector,” said the woman, who asked that their names be withheld to avoid compromising their residency status in Canada. She says she was surprised at how quickly and efficiently they were able to qualify for Ontario health care. 

Some Canadians who had considered America their adopted home are going back.

Al Brickman recently gave up on the United States after 30 years of running a Canadian-owned construction-supply business in Atlanta, Ga. 

“I really did hold out for about two years,” he said, but business had bottomed-out in the economy. Brickman said that his billings, once around $100,000, had dropped on some months by as much as 95 percent. 

Brickman moved home to Toronto to work at his company there, where he has a steady job as a general manager. His American wife and their 11-week-old baby, are now trying to emigrate to join him.

Since he got back, Brickman said he’s been fielding calls from American friends hoping he can get them a job up north, too. 

Shawn Shepard, a legal software supervisor who was among hundreds laid off by his Manhattan law firm in 2008, is hoping a Canadian employer will sponsor him.

Canada: A quiet deadly export

Shepard, who lives in Jersey City, N.J., is a regular visitor to Canada, with friends in Montreal and Toronto. With 20 years of experience, and, he admitted, “the arrogance of being a U.S. citizen,” he figured it would be a snap. 

But now, he’s found himself in the classic migrant dilemma: “In order to get a work visa, you need a job offer. In order to get a job offer, you need a work visa.” And even if he were to interest a prospective employer, a visa would only be issued if the employer can show that no Canadian was qualified for the job.

“The economy up there is doing very well, despite the global slump,” Shepard wistfully told this reporter, a gainfully employed Canadian. “Your politicians didn’t put you in the same mess that ours did.”

Top of Chinese wealthy's wish list? To leave

By LOUISE WATT, ASSOCIATED PRESS

BEIJING - Chinese millionaire Su builds skyscrapers in Beijing and is one of the people powering China's economy on its path to becoming the world's biggest.

He sits at the top of a country - economy booming, influence spreading, military swelling - expected to dominate the 21st century. Yet the property developer shares something surprising with many newly rich in China: He's looking forward to the day he can leave.

Su's reasons: He wants to protect his assets, he has to watch what he says in China, and he wants a second child, something against the law for many Chinese. His wife is already in the U.S. The millionaire spoke on condition that only his surname was used because of fears of government reprisals that could damage his business.

China's richest are increasingly investing abroad to get a foreign passport, to make international business easier but also to give them a way out of China.

The United States is the most popular destination for Chinese emigrants, with rich Chinese praising its education and health care systems. Last year, nearly 68,000 Chinese-born people became legal permanent residents of the U.S., 7 percent of the total and second only to those born in Mexico.

It is a bothersome trend for China's communist leaders who have pinned the legitimacy of one-party rule on delivering economic growth and a rising standard of living.

They have succeeded in lifting tens of millions of ordinary Chinese out of poverty while also creating a new class of super rich. Yet affluence alone seems a poor bargain to those with the means to live elsewhere. Plus the poor resent the newly rich, who feel uneasy.

Despite more economic freedom, the communist government has kept its tight grip on many other aspects of daily life. China's leaders punish public dissent and any perceived challenges to their power, and they censor what can be read online and in print.

Authoritarian rule, meanwhile, has proved ineffective in addressing old problems of pollution, contaminated food and a creaking health care system.

"In China, nothing belongs to you. Like buying a house. You buy it, but it will belong to the country 70 years later," said Su, lamenting the land leasing system.

Target Canada now hiring for 2013 launch

August 30, 2011Comments on this story  (8)
DANA FLAVELLE
Target Canada is starting to staff up its operations in anticipation of opening its first 135 stores in Canada in March 2013.
The Canadian division of the second largest U.S. retailer launched a careers website on Monday at target.ca/careers.
The company plans to hire “tens of thousands” of Canadians, including 150 to 200 employees per store.
That’s roughly 50 per cent more than are employed at the Zellers’ stores it is replacing, said Bryan Berg, Target Canada’s senior vice-president of stores.
The company is entering the market by buying up the leaseholds on 220 Zellers’ stores for $1.82 billion, though it may not set up shop in all those locations. It has already sold some of the leaseholds to Wal-Mart Canada Corp.
Zellers employees will be given the same consideration as other job applicants, the company said.
So far, Target Canada has posted mainly higher level jobs, such as There are senior buyer, merchandise planning manager, business analyst and district team leader as the retailer builds up its Canadian infrastructure.
So far, the company has hired 35 Canadians, mainly in senior positions. About 20 have started working with executives from the U.S. retailer.
Target expects to employ 500 people in its head office in Mississauga.
Canadian wage rates and employment laws are “more similar than different” than those in the U.S., Berg said.
“They’re pretty much in line with what our expectations have been,” he said. “We haven’t found any big surprises to date.”
“Our goal in the U.S. is to be very competitive in the marketplace. We pride ourselves on having one of the best compensation packages in the (retail) industry,” said Tiffany Monroe, vice-president human resources for Target Canada.
About 50 positions are open, but more are coming.
“There will be ongoing job opportunities that will get posted over the coming months,” Monroe said. “People can sign up for alerts. It’s very similar to the way we do hiring in the U.S.”
Both Berg and Monroe came to Target Canada from its U.S. operations.
With 70 per cent awareness among Canadian consumers, of whom 30,000 already hold a Target U.S. credit card, the chain is expected to have a huge impact on the Canadian retail landscape.
Within a decade, the company expects to be generating $6 billion a year in sales.

Study in Canada

International study in Canada is an attractive prospect for foreign students, as they can gain the benefit of learning English (and potentially French) without paying the high prices of many American schools. Study in Canada, in general, is much more affordable than study in the US, but with the same quality of education. The number of international students studying in Canada currently sits at about 90,000 and rises every year. For a country with a small population of just over 30 million, that's a good figure.

Sample ExpensesBased on the costs of St. Thomas university in Fredericton, New Brunswick. An international student could expect to pay in one academic year:
Tuition: $12,480
Health (mandatory) and Dental (optional): $215.64 & $90.24
Student Fees: $350 (including bus pass)
Residence (Double Room) & Meal Plan: $6,720
Residence Fees (Including refundable damage deposit): $360
Approximate Total: $20,200

The Process
Before getting a study permit, you have to be accepted to a university. As a rule of thumb, it's a good idea to apply for Canadian universities well in advance. Most prospective students start the process a year before their first semester. Start researching schools you're interested in and request an information packet from your top schools, which will usually include an application form. Some schools require a fee for an application, the amount varies depending on the institution, but usually doesn't exceed $50. Upon acceptance, you may also be required to pay a deposit to secure your spot and also a deposit to secure a dorm in residence (if you plan on living on campus). Your deposit will usually be around $100 and a residence deposit is roughly $300.
Once you've been accepted, you can apply for your study permit. There is a standard that you must meet to study in Canada, you must prove that you have enough funds to cover your tuition, accommodation, living expenses and return travel. You must also have no criminal record and be in good health. There are processing times for these permits that must be taken into account when applying.
If you are approved, you will be issued a letter of introduction that should be presented upon entering Canada. If you need a temporary resident visa, you will also be issued one.
When entering the country to study, you need to have your passport, letter of introduction, temporary residence visa (if applicable), the acceptance letter from your school and proof that you can support yourself financially during your stay.
If you wish to renew your study permit, you should apply no less than 30 days before your current permit expires. If your permit expires before you receive an answer, you can remain in the country until a decision is made.
Some foreign students can apply for a student work permit allowing them to work off-campus for no more than 20 hours a week during courses and full-time during breaks.
Students who graduate from a Canadian institution can apply for a post-graduation work permit that would allow them to get Canadian work experience if they qualify. The permit cannot be for a longer period of time than their program of study was. A four year course wouldn't qualify for a permit for more than four years.

An interactive tool that allows you to compare Canadian universities
http://www.globecampus.ca/navigator/

How to apply for a Canadian study permit
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/study/study-how.asp#step1

Processing times for study permits and temporary residence applications
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/temp.asp 

Institutions that permit off-campus work for international students
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/study/institutions/participants.asp
Applying for a post-grad work permit
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/study/work-postgrad-who.asp

Article written by ashleakelly
Last update on 2010-11-09 07:12:41
Guide section: Study

Startup Visa Canada movement launched

A new movement has been launched to focus on making the Canadian immigration process easier for prospective entrepreneurs looking to enter the country.

The new Startup Visa Canada movement has been launched.

Startup Visa Canada is a new Canadian immigration movement which is looking to make it easier for international entrepreneurs toemigrate to Canada and work with Canadian investors to launch new science and technology companies.

The movement is comprised of three founding principles: Boris Wertz, Danny Robinson and the Canadian Venture Capital Association (CVCA). Both Wertz and Robinson have history as entrepreneurs and investors, and the CVCA is comprised of over 1,800 members who have a combined capital of over CA$75 billion under management.

The reasoning behind Startup Visa Canada being formed was summarised by Wertz: "We are already falling behind countries like Chile, Singapore and Britain, who have already upgraded their programs....but I believe we can learn from their programs and make ours better."

CVCA's director also commented on the need for the Canada visa process for entrepreneurs to be overhauled: “Our belief is that we must promote a culture of entrepreneurship in order to successfully compete in the new global economy.

"Canada can become a beacon, attracting the best and the brightest from across the globe.” 

The Pathway Clear to Canada

By: Hanna Eliasson

Canada has become an increasingly attractive study destination for international students. In the last 10 years, the number of foreign students has doubled, making Canada one of the most popular destinations among international students in the world. Education institutions and the different levels of government are now working closely to help international students with Canadian credentials apply for permanent residency in Canada, if they wish to do so. Typically, half of the international post-secondary students studying in Canadasubmit requests for permanent residency after graduation. Through the help of programmes like the ‘Canadian Experience Class’ and the "Provincial Nominee Programmes", about 86 percent of these applications are approved. The "Canadian Experience Class" is a federal programme directly targeting international students’ transition to permanent residency. Introduced in 2008, the Canadian Experience Class allows international students to make an easier transition to permanent residency. As a result, post-secondary institutions are now key factors in Canada’s immigration system.  The federal government projects granting permanent residency to up to 25,000 immigrants a year (for both international students and temporary foreign workers) by 2014. Attracting international students to Canada is a priority at all levels of the government and educational institutions. International students contribute approximately C$6.5 billion (US$6.4 billion) to the Canadian economy not to mention intangibles to which a price tag cannot be placed such as skills, innovation and diversification. According to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), students are currently an immigration priority and there has been a shift in thinking from "temporary residents, to a pool of highly-qualified permanent residents." In Canada, where immigration will soon account for all net population growth, and where a majority of new jobs will require a post-secondary education, new immigration strategies that attempt to leverage and harness the skills of international students are being implemented. Naomi Alboim, Maytree Senior Fellow and Adjunct Professor at the School of Policy Studies, Queen’s University, has noted that immigration policy shifts in Canada have been made with student migration in mind, based on the assumption that international students will be able to avoid those barriers regularly encountered highly-skilled immigrants, by virtue of their Canadian education, language skills and work experience. Preliminary research suggests that immigrants with former international student status can also lead to better economic outcomes. Immigrants with previous Canadian education and work experience earn approximately C$12,000 more per year than skilled workers without work or educational experience in Canada. For international students, there are a number of important factors behind the decision to remain in Canada. In a recent Canadian Bureau of International Education (CBIE) survey of international students in Canada, half of surveyed university students and three-quarters of college students chose Canada as a study destination because of post-graduate work opportunities, and 51 percent of university students and 57 percent of college students planned to pursue permanent residency. If you are interested in furthering your studies in Canada by becoming a foreign graduate from a Canadian post-secondary institution and gaining at least one year of full-time (or equivalent) skilled work experience in Canada under the proper work or study authorisation, you are on the right path toward becoming a Canadian.

Study: Canadian skilled migrants highest earners

A new study on Canadian immigration policy has found that immigrants who come to Canada as independent skilled migrants had "consistently and substantially" the highest earnings of four categories of immigrants. 

The researchers concluded that Canada should continue to focus on skilled migration. The researchers also hope that their study will influence future Canadian immigration policy.

The Queen's University study, Immigrant Earnings Differences Across Admission Categories and Landing Cohorts in Canada examined the first ten years after immigrants landed in three different time periods: 1982, 1988, and 1994.

The four categories include independent primary skilled migrant applicants, accompanying economic immigrants, family class immigrants, and refugees.

"The ten-year average of median earnings levels of skill-assessed economic immigrants exceeded the average median earnings levels for all immigrants by 30-37 percent across the [three periods studied] for men and by 39-56 percent for women," the study noted.

Family class immigrants and refugees had the lowest earnings out of the four categories.

"Refugees, both male and female, also experienced declines in their real earnings levels across the three successive [study periods]", the study said.

However, refugees had the highest earnings growth rates for both male and female immigrants during the first decade after coming to Canada.

Independent skilled migrants despite having the highest overall salary rates had the lowest growth rate over the first decade after coming to Canada.

The study also found that the economic downturns had a negative effect on immigrant earning levels and growth rates and that this effect was more pronounced for male immigrants than for female immigrants.

Immigrants who landed in Canada during the 1988 study period generally had the lowest median earnings growth rate for the three study periods due to the economic downturn in the early 1990s. The highest growth rate was in the 1994 study period, which experienced no economic downturn during the ten years.

The study noted that "since skill-assessed independent economic immigrants had substantially higher earnings levels throughout their first ten post-landing years, Canada should continue to place heavy weight on skill-assessed immigrants and not reduce the proportion of new immigrants admitted in the skilled worker category."

Service Improvements make it easier for Latin American travellers to come to Canada

Santiago, Chile, September 3, 2011 — The Honourable Diane Ablonczy, Minister of State of Foreign Affairs (Americas and Consular Affairs), today announced improvements to make Canada an even more attractive destination for Latin American travellers. 

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is expanding its visa application centre (VAC) network around the world to make the application process more efficient. In August, nineVACs were opened in various countries in Latin America, including one in Santiago, Chile, with eight more set to open in September. With these openings, there will now be VACs in 35 countries.

“Service improvements are key to making the system for processing visas more effective and responsive to the needs of travellers,” said Minister Ablonczy, speaking on behalf of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney. “The outcome is a better use of resources, which will benefit both travellers to Canada and Canadians alike.”

VACs provide valuable administrative support by phone, by email or in person to individuals submitting applications. In particular, client service agents at VACs are available to verify that visa applications are complete, thereby helping applicants avoid unnecessary delays or refusals due to incomplete applications.

“VACs are an example of our government’s commitment to improving service to applicants and processing efficiency,” added Minister Ablonczy. “By facilitating the process and making it easier to travel, we make Canada a preferred destination for visitors and business travellers alike.”

Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/CitImmCanada.

For further information (media only), please contact:

Candice Malcolm
Minister’s Office
Citizenship and Immigration Canada

Extension of measures for Haitians applying for work permits

If you are a Haitian national who arrived in Canada prior to January 13, 2011, and are applying for a work permit or extending a work permit, your exemption from the requirement to provide a labour market opinion (LMO) as part of your application is now being extended. The requirement for an LMO will remain in place for all those who arrived in Canada after that date.

Eligible individuals will now have until September 1, 2012, to apply. Work permits are normally valid for one year.

For further information on these measures please visit our news release.

For further information on work permits:
www.cic.gc.ca/english/work/index.asp