It should hardly come as a surprise that Canada ranks third in the world for numbers of international students, with our world-class educational system, friendly and welcoming culture, French and English learning options, and favourable living costs.
In fact, many new Canadians start their path to citizenship through post-secondary education. What begins as a search for adventure can end in falling in love with Canada.
By encouraging immigration schemes that support international students, Canada gains highly educated, productive members of society who make our country better by contributing to academia, working at our best firms, serving as doctors, science, etc. There are many reasons why, barely a year ago, Canada ranked third in the world for most international students, with more than 642,000 attending Canadian post-secondaries. Three major drivers for these numbers include: a world-class system of universities and colleges; a welcoming environment; and tuition and living costs favourable in comparison to the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom.
Studying and working in Canada
There is tremendous value to studying in Canada. International student graduates can be eligible for work permits and immigration programs that lead to permanent residence.
While studying-full time in Canada on a valid study permit, students can work up to 20 hours per week during the school year, and full-time on scheduled breaks. After completion of a post-secondary program, graduates can apply for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP). These permits, which are valid for at least eight months and may last for up to three years, allow a great degree of freedom in working legally in Canada. PWGP holders can choose to work full-time, or part time. They have the option of working for themselves or an employer. Perhaps most importantly, they are exempt from the requirement of the Labour Market Impact Assessment. This exemption means that the employer does not have to first prove that there is no Canadian citizen or permanent resident available to take the job.
Pathway to permanent residency
Being an international graduate of a Canadian post-secondary institution is also valuable for gaining coveted permanent residency in Canada. Each of Canada’s ten provinces has at least one immigration stream dedicated to the recruitment for permanent residence of foreigners who recently graduated from institutions in a Canadian province. Many provinces have more than one; Manitoba has three and British Columbia has four. Many streams are very broad in their focus while others are targeted for graduates with training in specific areas, such as natural or applied sciences. There are also pathways for those with entrepreneurial ambitions. Some programs are designed for specific levels of education like a Master’s or Ph.D.
International students who want to immigrate through the Express Entry system can get an advantage for having Canadian work experience. Express Entry is a points-based application management system for Canada’s three main federal permanent economic immigration programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program, and the Canadian Experience Class. Candidates can get extra points toward their immigration application for having skilled work experience in Canada.
Why international students make excellent candidates for immigration to Canada
There are many good reasons why federal and provincial governments should prioritize the nomination of international students. International students who graduate from Canadian institutions, generally have many of the qualities that Canada values most in economic immigrants. These attributes include: Canadian study or work experience; high educational attainment; and relative youth. Studying in Canada also demands and develops strong skills in English or French, another key to gaining permanent residency and succeeding in Canada.
Such individuals, by their very nature, generally have many of the qualities, in addition to Canadian study and/or work experience, that Canada values most in its economic immigrants, particularly: high educational attainment; relative youth; and, strong proficiency in English and/or French. Research has identified each of these factors as promoting immigrant integration and success in Canada.
Continuing to welcome international students
Hosting international students is clearly a priority for Canada, and this year has been an excellent test case for finding innovative solutions to bureaucratic hurdles.
The federal government has invited post-secondary institutions to develop quarantine plans for arriving international students. If the government approves the institution’s plan, it can welcome new international students. The federal government has also modified some of the rules regarding international students to accommodate people who— through no fault of their own— are currently unable to be physically present on campus. For example, distance or online learning normally cannot qualify as study for the purposes of a study permit or PGWP. The government has relaxed this rule to not penalize students away from campus due to COVID-19, and to make it clear that Canada still values them and hopes they will return when the situation stabilizes.
IRCC has also relaxed deadlines for PGWP applications and renewals. Circumstances have changed, but Canada remains committed to welcoming the learners of today and Canadians of the future.
Conclusion
Whether you are a Manitoba graduate with a job offer in the province, an Ontario Ph.D. graduate looking to settle permanently, or an International Graduate Entrepreneur seeking to build a business in Nova Scotia, study in Canada can be not only the start of an exciting and enriching educational experience, but also the launching pad to building your life in Canada.
Michael Schwartz is an Attorney at Campbell Cohen and a Contributing Writer for CIC News and CanadaVisa.com.
Michael first came to Campbell Cohen in 2018, as an articling student. After his call to the Law Society of Ontario in 2019, he served as Foreign Law Clerk to Justice Daphne Barak-Erez at the Supreme Court of Israel. Upon Michael’s return to Canada, he resumed work as a lawyer at Campbell Cohen.
Michael handles a variety of matters, particularly: research in regards to new laws and regulations, developments in immigration jurisprudence, changes to provincial nomination programs (PNPs), and, inadmissibility issues.
As part of his undergraduate education, Michael participated in a student exchange to the University of Sydney, in Australia. He has also been a visiting graduate student at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and studied French at the Université de Montréal, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), and Glendon College of York University.
While in law school, Michael volunteered at the Legal Information Clinic at McGill and interned at the Elder Law Clinic; he was also the inaugural recipient of a joint prize of the Lord Reading Law Society and Ministère de la Justice du Québec for being the student who “best promotes and advances the objects of the Lord Reading Law Society and the mission of the Ministère de la Justice.”
In addition to his B.C.L./LL.B. from McGil, Michael holds a B.A. from the same institution, and an M.A. from the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy, and Strategy. He is a member in good standing of the Law Society of Ontario and the Lord Reading Law Society.
VANCOUVER – Contract negotiations resume today in Vancouver in a labour dispute that has paralyzed container cargo shipping at British Columbia’s ports since Monday.
The BC Maritime Employers Association and International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 514 are scheduled to meet for the next three days in mediated talks to try to break a deadlock in negotiations.
The union, which represents more than 700 longshore supervisors at ports, including Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Nanaimo, has been without a contract since March last year.
The latest talks come after employers locked out workers in response to what it said was “strike activity” by union members.
The start of the lockout was then followed by several days of no engagement between the two parties, prompting federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to speak with leaders on both sides, asking them to restart talks.
MacKinnon had said that the talks were “progressing at an insufficient pace, indicating a concerning absence of urgency from the parties involved” — a sentiment echoed by several business groups across Canada.
In a joint letter, more than 100 organizations, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Business Council of Canada and associations representing industries from automotive and fertilizer to retail and mining, urged the government to do whatever it takes to end the work stoppage.
“While we acknowledge efforts to continue with mediation, parties have not been able to come to a negotiated agreement,” the letter says. “So, the federal government must take decisive action, using every tool at its disposal to resolve this dispute and limit the damage caused by this disruption.
“We simply cannot afford to once again put Canadian businesses at risk, which in turn puts Canadian livelihoods at risk.”
In the meantime, the union says it has filed a complaint to the Canada Industrial Relations Board against the employers, alleging the association threatened to pull existing conditions out of the last contract in direct contact with its members.
“The BCMEA is trying to undermine the union by attempting to turn members against its democratically elected leadership and bargaining committee — despite the fact that the BCMEA knows full well we received a 96 per cent mandate to take job action if needed,” union president Frank Morena said in a statement.
The employers have responded by calling the complaint “another meritless claim,” adding the final offer to the union that includes a 19.2 per cent wage increase over a four-year term remains on the table.
“The final offer has been on the table for over a week and represents a fair and balanced proposal for employees, and if accepted would end this dispute,” the employers’ statement says. “The offer does not require any concessions from the union.”
The union says the offer does not address the key issue of staffing requirement at the terminals as the port introduces more automation to cargo loading and unloading, which could potentially require fewer workers to operate than older systems.
The Port of Vancouver is the largest in Canada and has seen a number of labour disruptions, including two instances involving the rail and grain storage sectors earlier this year.
A 13-day strike by another group of workers at the port last year resulted in the disruption of a significant amount of shipping and trade.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
The Royal Canadian Legion says a new partnership with e-commerce giant Amazon is helping boost its veterans’ fund, and will hopefully expand its donor base in the digital world.
Since the Oct. 25 launch of its Amazon.ca storefront, the legion says it has received nearly 10,000 orders for poppies.
Online shoppers can order lapel poppies on Amazon in exchange for donations or buy items such as “We Remember” lawn signs, Remembrance Day pins and other accessories, with all proceeds going to the legion’s Poppy Trust Fund for Canadian veterans and their families.
Nujma Bond, the legion’s national spokesperson, said the organization sees this move as keeping up with modern purchasing habits.
“As the world around us evolves we have been looking at different ways to distribute poppies and to make it easier for people to access them,” she said in an interview.
“This is definitely a way to reach a wider number of Canadians of all ages. And certainly younger Canadians are much more active on the web, on social media in general, so we’re also engaging in that way.”
Al Plume, a member of a legion branch in Trenton, Ont., said the online store can also help with outreach to veterans who are far from home.
“For veterans that are overseas and are away, (or) can’t get to a store they can order them online, it’s Amazon.” Plume said.
Plume spent 35 years in the military with the Royal Engineers, and retired eight years ago. He said making sure veterans are looked after is his passion.
“I’ve seen the struggles that our veterans have had with Veterans Affairs … and that’s why I got involved, with making sure that the people get to them and help the veterans with their paperwork.”
But the message about the Amazon storefront didn’t appear to reach all of the legion’s locations, with volunteers at Branch 179 on Vancouver’s Commercial Drive saying they hadn’t heard about the online push.
Holly Paddon, the branch’s poppy campaign co-ordinator and bartender, said the Amazon partnership never came up in meetings with other legion volunteers and officials.
“I work at the legion, I work with the Vancouver poppy office and I go to the meetings for the Vancouver poppy campaign — which includes all the legions in Vancouver — and not once has this been mentioned,” she said.
Paddon said the initiative is a great idea, but she would like to have known more about it.
The legion also sells a larger collection of items at poppystore.ca.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 9, 2024.
