At InfoPlace Canada, we help individuals looking to immigrate to Canada through study or any of the permanent residency programs (i.e. visit, PR, work permits) that are available.
Today, we will talk about coming into Canada via the study route.
This blog post is to give you a general idea of things to consider when immigrating via this route, for your own unique specific advice and direction on exactly what you to do, book a consultation with us.
COST
This is the first place to begin, when you're planning to immigrate, because it gives you that gauge to know if this is something you can actually afford; average cost of studying in Canada for an undergraduate program is about 27,000CAD, while masters and post graduate program costs around 17,000 CAD ( 2018 - 2019 statistics).
Once you determine what the average cost is, then the next question to consider is your program of study? If you're coming in as an undergraduate, it is pretty easy because that depends on what your passion is, your high school grades, and if you were more science inclined, you'd be looking at available programs in the science field, if you are more arts or business inclined, you'd be looking for programs in those field.
However, if you're coming for a postgraduate diploma, you can change your career path with this program. For Master's program, this is not advisable as the application requirements is always looking for people who have either graduated from a related program in that field, or who have work experience in that field; except you are going for a master’s program that is not program specific like a master in management or master's in business administration.
If you're coming to study in Canada, it is advisable to get into a program in the field that you already have work experience in. The reason is because long term it is going to benefit you more to do that, because when you graduate, you have some work experience in that field already. It makes it a lot easier for you to find a job.
PROGRAM OF STUDY
The next step is to determine the program to study as well as the requirements for the program. For a master's program in Canada the minimum requirement for most of the schools in Canada is that you graduated with a B plus and above (i.e. 75% average and above), to stand a good chance of getting into a master's program. There's also the requirement that you have some work experience in that field as well. It's very important to ensure that you know the requirements before you start, because if you just wake up and apply for a master's program because you like it; you might run into a situation where you actually don't get into that program; because you did not meet the criteria. Post graduate diplomas are a lot flexible, even as low as 3rd class can get into a post graduate diploma in Canada.
If you're looking to enter a post graduate program, there's a lot more flexibility in terms of the criteria and the requirement. Master’s program require that you have references, a letter of intent, your resume, but most postgraduate diploma programs will not require all that from you. They require only your grades, transcript and resume to get in .
For undergraduate programs, your high school results, or for people in West Africa - WAEC , can get you into an undergraduate program in Canada.
It is very important, when determining the program and school of choice; that the school is a designated learning institution (DLI). Designated learning institutions, are the only schools that are allowed to have international students. If you secure admission in a school that is not a designated learning institution, you will not get a study permit. In addition, all the schools have a DLI number, so make sure you find that and you're satisfied that they have it, before you proceed.
POST GRADUATE WORK PERMIT
It is also important to verify that the school is on the post graduate work permit approval list, and that if you go to that school, you can apply for work permits; because not all schools that are DLIs would qualify you for a work permit. The list of schools are on the Canadian immigration website.
Most importantly, it is important to note that your post graduate work permits upon graduation typically depends on the duration of your studies. If you enter for a 1 year program, then you're going to get a one year work permit ; for a program that is 2years or more, you're going to get a 3 year work permit.
.
CHOICE OF PROVINCE
The third thing to consider when coming into Canada via the study route, is to consider the big picture. Infoplace Canada is very experienced in this and we position our clients in provinces, that will offer more than one option to become permanent resident. Some provinces like Saskatchewan have a special route for international students in the provincial programs to become permanent residents, they give clients extra points, extra benefits for schooling and sometimes working in their province, so that it makes it easy for them to become permanent residents.
COST OF LIVING
Finally, considering cost of living is very important in the province you choose to study in, as not all provinces were created equal.
What you would probably pay for, for a full house in Saskatchewan or in New Brunswick. You might be paying that for a one bedroom in Toronto. It's so important to look at the cost of living in the city, you plan to study in, because as an international student, you can only work 20 hours per week and most of the time there are no jobs that pay high wage. It's important to ensure that your cost of living is going to be low and very affordable, to make your life easy as you go through school, so that you're not stressed out, because the bills in Canada keep coming the moment you arrive. It's very important to have that at the back of your mind, when you're looking at schools and trying to determine your cost because this is also a key part of your study permit approval as well as the amount of funds that you will be showing.
SCHOOL PROCESSING TIMES
Once you've done all of this, the final step is to apply to the school. The school processing time depends on various factors, for graduate diploma, it could take anywhere from four to eight weeks, to secure your admission. For Undergraduate programs, It depends on the school, sometimes it can take anywhere from a month to three months depending on the timeframe that you are applying. Master's program is slightly different ; for some master's programs in Canada, they will wait for the deadline to elapse before they start making decisions. After the deadline, they will review all the applications and make a decision. It is very important to know what your timelines look like, so that you can plan better, get your study permits in time and enter Canada at the right time.
Sometimes, studying in Canada maybe a lot more complicated, and that's why we are here, to help you figure it out. Need help, send an email to ask@infoplacecanada.ca