Citizenship and Immigration Canada is looking to reduce misuse of student visas to gain access to the Canadian labour market (CICS News)
The federal government plans on tightening rules for those on student visas to reduce inappropriate use of the visas to work in Canada.
The new rules will seek to prevent the practice of gaining entrance into Canada on a student visa, but instead of attending school, using the time in Canada to work.
Immigration Minister Jason Kenney says that while Australia and the UK have instituted rules to ensure that organizations that claim to be educational institutions are what they claim to be, and that foreign nationals on student visas are attending classes, Canada has no such safeguards in place.
Kenney said the Immigration Department is proposing that provinces create lists of “credible post-secondary institutions”, and that only student visa applicants that enrol in a listed school be accepted. The proposal further calls for monitoring of foreign nationals on student visas to verify they are attending classes.
The proposal would also eliminate student visas for education programs that are less than six months in length, and would restrict work permits for those on student visas to work relevant to their courses, like co-ops.
The proposed restriction on work permits would eliminate one of the competitive advantages that a report by a government advisory panel says Canada has over its main competitors in attracting international students.
Hi
I was an immigrant years ago from India and now a Tax Payer Citizen for 40 Years.
People from India and may be All over the world are mis-using Student Visa. They are using this to Indirectly become Permanent Resident. They come for aas short as a year course, take courses only two or 3 times a week and prolong their stay, before their initial course is completed they enrol for another course, so they can stay for 5 years and become PR.
The Government MUST STOP ALL Student Visa.
Student wanted to take Courses in Canadian Univerisites and colleges, must be asked follwoing before they are given Visa
1) 3 Copies of their application for that particular Courese in their Country. In this time Any courses that is offered in Canada Must also be offered to all the Countries in world.
2) If they qualify for a very special course, they must have a definite Start and Completion of thie program, Including the Course schedule in Canadian Institutioin. And after completion they must return to their country.