Canada widens opportunities for foreign students

More than 1,000 students seeking admission to higher educational institutions met with officials of 19 universities and colleges from Canada at the six-day GLinks’ Study in Canada roadshow held from February 15-20, across the GCC.

While in Canada, students from the GCC can now avail higher working hours to earn more to cover their tuition fees in addition to obtaining greater employment opportunities as well as pursue permanent residency due to strong economic growth prospects, various authorities have announced in recent months.

The month of January saw a considerable increase in overall employment, as 150,000 jobs (+ five per cent of total employment) across Canada were filled in the first month of 2023, according to CIC News.

“The strong surge in hiring yielded big increases in employment for many groups (primarily workers aged 25-54), with Non-permanent Residents (NPRs) — those holding either a Study or Work Permit — seeing significant increases in labour force engagement,” CIC News said in a latest news update.

According to the National Statistics Office of Canada, in 2021, as many as 621,565 international students held study permits intended for different study levels. The number of international students in Canada enrolled in higher education only is currently 388,782 students.

From January 1, 2022, to the end of August 2022, more than 452,000 study permit applications have been processed, according to EduCanada, the official education department of the Government of Canada. During the same period in 2021, which was a record year, 367,000 applications were processed. This represents an increase of 23 percent, it said.

The national unemployment rate held at a historically low at five per cent. Immigrants in Canada held an average unemployment rate of 5.96 per cent at the end of 2022, reflecting the wealth of job opportunities in Canada. In January, NPRs filled 79,000 positions. As of November 2023, international students in Canada who hold a valid study permit can now work an unlimited number of hours during school semesters, until December 31 — likely a contributor to this increase. In conjunction with NPRs now making up the biggest proportion of Canada’s population ever (per the latest census data), they now have record participation in the labour force as well.

The Glinks Study in Canada roadshow that kicked off in Bahrain on February 15, was followed by exhibitions in Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Dubai on February 19 with follow-up visits to schools yesterday. More than 1,000 students, along with their parents interacted with student advisors and academic counsellors from 19 premier universities and colleges including Acadia University, North Island College, University of Western Ontario, Trent University, Georgian College, University of Windsor, Durham College, University of Waterloo, Columbia College, Brock University, University of Prince Edward Island, University of Guelph, Huron at Western, University of Alberta, MacEwan University, University of New Brunswick, Brescia University College and Northern Alberta Institute of Technology at the roadshow and discussed their choice of subject, academic ambition and the scholarship opportunities as well as work permit-related issues.

For more information visit: glinksgroup.com/.