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IMMIGRATION NEWS - PAGE IV
Government of Canada extends off-campus work program to international students
in private institutions
Vancouver, May 20, 2008 — The Honourable Diane Finley,
Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Honourable Wally Oppal,
B.C. Attorney General and Minister
responsible for Multiculturalism, and Honourable Murray Coell,
B.C. Minister of Advanced
Education, today announced a pilot expansion of the Off‑Campus Work Permit
Program for international students in British Columbia.
Effective immediately, international students studying at eligible private
post-secondary institutions in British Columbia can now apply for off-campus
work permits. Previously, only international students at public universities
and colleges in the province were able to apply.
“The Government of Canada is committed to attracting newcomers to Canada, and
helping them succeed once they arrive,” said Minister Finley. “This pilot will
provide more international students with opportunities to work off-campus and
to gain Canadian work experience. It complements our recent improvements to
the post-graduate work program and our efforts to make Canada a more
attractive choice for international students.”
On April 21, the Government of Canada announced that under the Post-Graduate
Work Permit program international students will be able to obtain, for the
first time, an open three-year work permit with no restrictions on the type of
employment and no requirement for a job offer. Students in the
OCWP Program can ease into
the post-graduate program as the off-campus work permit is valid for up to 90
days after graduation, thus allowing them to search for post-graduation jobs.
“The Province of British Columbia sees increases in immigration, temporary
workers and international students as key to helping
B.C. achieve its economic goals
for the coming decade,” said Minister Oppal. “The expansion of this program
will assist international students in our province to obtain work and
potentially to choose British Columbia as their future home.”
“This pilot will provide international students with more options to help
further their studies,” said Advanced Education Minister Murray Coell. “We
appreciate the enrichment international students bring to British Columbia and
encourage potential students to experience
B.C. as the best place on earth to live, work and play.”
Giving students access to off-campus work permits also gives Canadian
institutions a competitive advantage for attracting the best and brightest
international students.
Following extensive consultations, the Government of Canada and the Province
of British Columbia agreed that only those enrolled in qualifying programs
offered by an eligible institution authorized to grant degrees will be
eligible for the OCWP pilot
expansion. Eligible institution also means a Canadian privately-funded
post-secondary education institution that is located in a participating
province or territory.
The pilot will be in place for a four-year period, after which point a
comprehensive review will be undertaken by the province. The pilot project is
being implemented on a province-by-province basis. British Columbia is the
third province to participate in the pilot, following Manitoba and Alberta.
Studying in Canada: Work permits for students—Working off campus
The Off-Campus Work Permit Program allows certain foreign students to work off
campus while completing their studies. To qualify, you must be a full-time
student enrolled at a participating publicly funded post-secondary educational
institution or in an approved program at an eligible privately funded
institution.
Participating publicly funded post-secondary educational institutions:
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are public post-secondary institutions, such as a college or university or a
collège d’enseignement général et
professionnel (CEGEP)
in Quebec or
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are private post-secondary institutions that operate under the same rules
and regulations as public institutions, and receive at least 50 percent of
their financing for their overall operations from government grants
(currently only private college-level educational institutions in Quebec
qualify) or
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have signed an off-campus work agreement with their provincial or
territorial government.
Eligible privately funded post-secondary institutions:
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are located in a province or territory that has signed a memorandum of
understanding with CIC
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have signed an off-campus work agreement with their provincial or
territorial government and
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have approval from their provincial or territorial government to grant
specific degrees.
Please note that not all programs offered by private post-secondary
educational institutions qualify. For more information on qualifying programs,
contact the eligible institution directly.
For a list of participating institutions in the Off-Campus Work Permit
Program, see the Related Links section at the bottom of this page.
To work off campus, you must apply for a work permit. Do not begin to work off
campus until you have received your work permit. The work permit authorizes
you to work up to 20 hours per week during regular academic sessions, and full
time during scheduled breaks (for example, winter and summer holidays, and
spring break).
A work permit does not guarantee that you will find a job. It is your
responsibility to look for work. Even if you work off campus, your studies
must be the main reason you are in Canada. If you are no longer a full-time
student or do not maintain satisfactory academic results, you must return your
work permit to a local Citizenship and Immigration Canada office.
For more information about the program and the application process, contact
the international student adviser at your educational institution.
http://www.cic.gc.ca |
