Canada Calling

Easy PR rules and jobs attracts Indian students to British Columbia,Saskatchewan and Manitoba 

Earlier,Indian students used to choose Toronto in Canada because of the job opportunities and the Indian community stronghold in this city.However,now Indian students are breaking grounds and heading to colleges in British Columbia,Saskatchewan,Manitoba and some very cold provinces.Sanjay Laul,President and Founder of Kampus Landing,a study abroad consulting organisation with offices in USA,Canada and India says,"The quality of education is very good in all Canadian community colleges and one should not rush just to Toronto.There are many advantages of studying at provinces in British Columbia,Saskatchewan and Manitoba.While the students' Canada PR applications are fast tracked if filed under Provincial Nominee Program,Manitoba and Saskatchewan require minimum 8 months of study and British Columbia requires 12 months of study at Diploma or higher level to file for PR under Provincial Nominee Programs in comparison to Ontario which requires a student to complete a Masters or a PhD to file under its PNP.Most of the Indian students who complete their Diploma or Post Graduate Diploma from a community college in Toronto relocate to Saskatchewan to become eligible for PR.The Saskatchewan Graduate Retention Program (GRP) provides eligible graduates with a refundable income tax credit to rebate,over seven years,upto $20,000 of tuition fees they have paid if they move to or live in Saskatchewan."

Regarding mature students applying under SPP,Sanjay 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 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 trend of hiring a consultant for filing a study permit,Sanjay Laul says,"The Canadian Government encourages the use of licensed consultants only.So,the students and parents need to check whether the consultant is a member of Immigration Consultants of Canada Regulatory Council - ICCRC or not.It is then only that the consultant can represent the student application at CIC."

    

More students expected to head overseas from India sub continent

The number of students applying to study overseas next year is likely to see a double- digit increase, according to Kampus Landing, a leading educational consultant with offices in USA, Canada & India.

Australia has opened doors by taking steps favourable for student visas such as allowing third party sponsor & ending monopoly of IELTS by accepting TOEFL, PTE and ESOL scores.

Canada is boosting its international students’ numbers with their highly successful SPP Student Partners Program. SPP which has now 43 Canadian colleges and universities accepts bank loans that means the parents do not need to show 6 months bank statements which was a very difficult aspect of Canadian student visa before. SPP accepts IELTS scores only though we are experiencing very few rejections with TOEFL scores. Even students with quite a few years of gap ion their studies have been successful in gaining visas under SPP.

New Zealand is granting visas liberally to Indian students hence the numbers are expected to grow this year

Ireland, UK and Cyprus are trying to woo international students and India  is one of the important makets for them.

Students hoping to qualify for a USA student visa spot will likely require  better grades and test scores TOEFL, IELTS, GRE, GMAT or SAT. This means if a student who would like to pursue higher studies in the USA should have good academic records as well as good test scores.

"Popular courses such as criminology, aerospace studies, human genetics and environmental conservation are now offered in many places, which allow students more options to study things they're interested in," Kampus Landing, Rajni Bhatla said.

She added that criminology and forensic science have gained popularity in recent years because of the number of television shows focusing on the topic.

University applications usually start in September for the United States and Britain, and in February and July for Australia.

Canada SPP attracts students from India

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. At the time of writing this article on 23^rd May 2011, the following colleges and universities were in the SPP list:

1.       Algonquin College

2.       Bow Valley College

3.       Cambrian College of Applied Arts & Technology

4.       Camosun College

5.       Centennial College of Applied Arts & Technology

6.       College of New Caledonia

7.       College of the Rockies

8.       Columbia College

9.       Conestoga College

10.     Confederation College of Applied Arts & Technology

11.     Douglas College

12.     Durham College

13.     Fanshawe College of Applied Arts & Technology

14.     George Brown College

15.     Georgian College of Arts & Technology

16.     Grant MacEwan University

17.     Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning

18.     Kwantlen Polytechnic University

19.     Lambton College of Applied Arts & Technology

20.     Loyalist College of Applied Arts & Technology

21.     Marine Institute of Memorial University

22.     Medicine Hat College

23.     Mohawk College of Applied Arts & Technology

24.     New Brunswick Community College

25.     Niagara College

26.     North Island College

27.     Northern Alberta Institute of Technology

28.     Northern College

29.     Northern Lights

30.     Okanagan College

31.     Red River College of Applied Arts, Science & Technology

32.     Selkirk College

33.     Seneca College of Applied Arts & Technology

34.     Sheridan College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning

35.     St-Clair College of Applied Arts & Technology

36.     St. Lawrence College

37.     University of The Fraser Valley

38.     Vancouver Island University

39.     Vancouver Community College

40.     New Brunswick College of Craft and Design

41.     Fleming College

42.     Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology (SIAST)

43.     Parkland College

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.