Canada offers affordable education

Image via WikipediaKota Kinabalu: Canada is alternative for Sabah students planning affordable and world-class education, abroad, said State Education Exco Member Datuk Masidi Manjun.

"Normally when we think of studying overseas, it's either UK or AustraliaÉI think it's time for us to emphasise the need to find new places.

"We need to make smart decision and not just a decision where to send our children É Canada is far but education wise, it is a potential country for our students to seek knowledge.

"We need to find new environment and environment shape the way we are and the way we think. It's not just about passing grade É We should look beyond our normal thinking," he said at the Canadian Education fair 2011 in Hyatt Hotel, Tuesday.

The High Commission of Canada in Malaysia hosted the Education Fairs in the State capital in hope of attracting more Sabahans to choose Canada as their first choice of education.

Masidi stressed that students and parents must first think of financial aspect as a whole and secondly the education environmental aspect and last but not least the affordability before choosing to study abroad.

"Studying in UK or even in Australia is much expensiveÉbut Canada offers affordable education compared to other countries.

Also the good thing about studying there is that it is legal to work while you are studying," he added.

Senior Trade Commissioner of Canada High Commission in Malaysia Douglas Bingeman said Canada offers flexibility with respect to employment and immigration.

"For students interested in a job during their study it is possible to work up to 20 hours on or off-campus in most Canadian provinces.

Even for students who do not need to work this provides an excellent opportunity to experience Canada and bring back this valuable experience to Malaysia."

He added that over 600 Malaysian students chose to study in Canada every year.

"More than 70,000 Malaysians have studied in Canada since the days of the Colombo Plan, many of them from East Malaysia.

He also said that most Malaysians who studied in Canada applied for courses such as engineering, business and actuarial science, among others.

"Average annual tuition fees are approximately $13,000 (about RM40,000). Most universities in Canada are public and partly funded by the various levels of government.

"The quality of education is also very high and importantly, consistent from one institution to another.

Indeed four Canadian universities ranked in the top 100 in he last Webometric world university ranking," he said.

He further stressed that Canada remains "a safe and welcoming multi-ethnic place to live and the lifestyle is second to none", adding quality of life indicators consistently put Canada at or near the top this regard.

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India, China top as Canada admits record immigrants in 2010

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This new number is about 60,000 higher than the average annual intake of permanent residents in recent years, according to a statement by Immigration and Citizenship Canada. Canada has admitted between 240,000 and 265,000 immigrants annually in recent years.

Though there is no break-down of country-wise figures, India and China remain top sources of immigration for Canada. On average, about 35, 000 Indians make Canada their new home in each year.

Releasing the annual report here Sunday, Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, said, "While other Western countries cut back on immigration during the recession, our government kept legal immigration levels high. Canada's post-recession economy demands a high level of economic immigration to keep our economy strong.''

He said, "In 2010, we welcomed the highest number of permanent residents in the past 50 years to support Canada's economic recovery while taking action to maintain the integrity of Canada's immigration system with the introduction of the Preventing Human Smugglers from Abusing Canada's Immigration System Act."

With two-thirds of those admitted in 2010 being skilled and economic immigrants and their dependants, the minister said the backlog of over 640,000 people in the skilled worker category with wait period of up to six years has now been reduced to 335,000.

"I'm very pleased that a higher number of admissions in 2010 means that more people are now out of the lineup and well on their way to beginning a new life in Canada,'' Kenney said.

During this period, Canada also admitted 182,322 temporary foreign workers and 96,147 foreign students.

Canada now allows foreign students to apply for permanent residency from within the country under the Canadian Experience category introduced in 2008.

Foreign students contribute more than $6.5 billion to the Canadian economy each year.

Though Canada currently admits only 3,500 Indian students each year, these numbers are going to increase rapidly as Canadian universities and colleges ramp up their enrollment from India. 

 

 

 

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Canada welcomes highest number of legal immigrants in 50 years while taking action to maintain the integrity of Canada’s immigration system

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Ottawa, February 13, 2011 — In 2010, Canada welcomed the highest number of legal immigrants in more than 50 years, at 280,636 permanent residents, Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism and Parliamentary Secretary Dr. Alice Wong announced today in Toronto and Vancouver.

“While other Western countries cut back on immigration during the recession, our government kept legal immigration levels high. Canada’s post-recession economy demands a high level of economic immigration to keep our economy strong,” said Minister Kenney. “In 2010, we welcomed the highest number of permanent residents in the past 50 years to support Canada’s economic recovery while taking action to maintain the integrity of Canada’s immigration system with the introduction of the Preventing Human Smugglers from Abusing Canada’s Immigration System Act.”

According to preliminary data, last year Canada admitted 280,636 permanent residents, about six percent more than the government’s planned range of 240,000 to 265,000 new permanent residents for 2010. This is in line with Minister Kenney’s announcement in June of last year that Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) would adjust its 2010 immigration plan to meet the need for economic immigration. The 280,636 number is about 60,000 higher than the average annual intake of permanent residents the Government of Canada admitted in the 1990s.

“It’s important to understand that the ranges are for planning purposes only. The key number is how many immigrants Canada actually admits. For 2010, that number is 280,636, with the growth coming mostly from skilled economic immigrants,” said Parliamentary Secretary Wong.

The high number of economic immigrants in 2010 has helped CIC decrease application backlogs in the federal skilled worker category, reduce wait times under the Action Plan for Faster Immigration, and better meet labour market needs. Before the Action Plan for Faster Immigration, which Minister Kenney announced within one month of becoming Immigration Minister in November 2008, Canada was obliged to process every immigration application it received, even if it meant creating large application backlogs in popular immigration categories. For example, in 2008 Canada had a backlog of over 640,000 people in the federal skilled worker category waiting as long as six years to be processed.

“Last year, the backlog of people who applied before the Action Plan was drawn down to 335,000 applicants, which represents close to half the number of people who were awaiting a decision in 2008,” said Minister Kenney. “I’m very pleased that a higher number of admissions in 2010 means that more people are now out of the lineup and well on their way to beginning a new life in Canada.”

A recent evaluation confirmed that immigrants selected under the federal skilled worker program are faring well in Canada and filling gaps in the work force. It found that skilled workers who already had a job offer when they applied for permanent residence fared best of all, earning on average $79,200 three years after arriving in Canada. About two thirds of those admitted in 2010 in the permanent resident category were economic immigrants and their dependants.

At the same time, we did our part to meet the needs of provinces and territories through a record number of immigrants in the provincial nominee program, representing an increase of 20 percent from the previous year.

“Since 2006, our government has allowed for the provincial nominee program to expand significantly, from 8,047 people in 2005 to 36,419 in 2011,” said Minister Kenney.

Canada continued to welcome a high number of temporary residents, including 182,322 temporary foreign workers and 96,147 foreign students. That is 28,292 more foreign students than in 2005. And with the creation of the Canadian Experience Class in 2008, eligible foreign students can apply for permanent residency from within Canada. According to a study commissioned by the Government of Canada entitled Economic Impact of International Education in Canada, foreign students are estimated to contribute more than $6.5 billion to Canada’s economy every year.

“We continued to admit an increasing number of foreign students to Canada last year through joint efforts among the federal government, provincial governments and other partners,” said Minister Kenney. “Our government’s initiatives such as the Student Partners Program have also helped to attract and admit a high number of foreign students, particularly from China and India.”

In 2010, Canada also maintained its humanitarian tradition by welcoming 7,265 government-assisted refugees and 4,833 privately sponsored refugees. This represents 63% more privately sponsored refugees than in 2005.

“These refugees played by the rules and came to Canada through legal streams,” noted Minister Kenney. “It is important to note that while Canada is maintaining its humanitarian tradition of providing a safe haven for legitimate refugees, we will not stand by while our immigration system is being abused by queue jumpers and human smugglers. Bill C-49, thePreventing Human Smugglers from Abusing Canada’s Immigration System Act, sends a clear message that the abuse of our immigration system will not be tolerated.”

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