Studying policy changes for int’l students

The Canadian Government has introduced legislation that will positively affect the process of international students seeking to become Canadian citizens.

Under the previous Government, there were a number of changes to the Canadian Immigration Act which contained provisions that made the path to Canadian citizenship more difficult for international students.

One of the key requirements for a citizenship application is physical residency in Canada.

The previous Government’s Bill C-24 had, among other things, increased the residency requirement from three years to four and eliminated a special provision that allowed 50 per cent of the time spent in Canada on a work or study visa to be counted against that physical residency requirement.

The proposed changes of the current Government will reduce the physical residency requirement from four out of the previous six years, to three out of the previous five years.

The Government also seeks to restore the provision that allows international students to count time spent studying or working in Canada against that residency requirement to become Canadian citizens.

Canadian Experience Class

The Government has also pledged to review the Canadian Experience Class programme, which is a key path to permanent residency for international students in Canada – as discussed in my column last week.

The Canadian Experience Class programme was first introduced in 2008. The programme is considered to have been an important factor in the significant international enrolment growth that Canada has realised in the years since. Surveys by the Canadian Bureau for International Education suggest that roughly half of the international students in Canada intend to apply for permanent residency at some point in the future.

The path of the Canadian Experience Class programme was muddled somewhat in January 2015, by the introduction of Express Entry. Studying in Canada became more of an advantage based on work experience, as opposed to a certain way to become a permanent resident.

While it is not yet clear how the Canadian Experience Class will change as a result of the current government review, focus may be placed on:

• Immigration quotas associated with key permanent residency programmes relevant to international students, including the Canadian Experience Class; and/or

• Modifications to the scoring system to better recognise the combined experience of living, studying, and working in Canada that international students bring to their Express Entry applications. It has been argued that Express Entry currently places too much emphasis on just the work experience component.

Lambton College Scholarships

I am not sure of your area of interest with regards to your studies. However, Lambton College offers many programmes at the post-secondary and post-graduate levels in business, engineering, health and information technology. The college is located in Sarnia (and Toronto), Ontario, Canada and offers exclusive scholarship opportunities through my office. I would like to invite you to the Lambton College seminar I will be hosting, which includes general information and on-the-spot applications at the Courtleigh Hotel and Suites tomorrow at 7:00 pm. I will also discuss general matters pertaining to study permits, work permits and permanent residence.

For additional information on Canadian permanent residence programs including Express Entry, the Study Visa and Visitor’s visas please visit the company’s site at http://www.immigrationexperts.pk
Contact :

Immigration Experts
Tel: +92 308 5857777
E-mail: wecare@immigrationexperts.pk