International students will get a little extra help from a new partnership.
Northern College has penned a deal with BorderPass to help international students navigate immigration issues and planning toward permanent residence.
BorderPass is a digital platform that works with government partners and educational institutions to help students and other newcomers to Canada find their way through the immigration system.
The partnership with Northern College will let students and those applying for student visas access these services. This is part of a step toward the college’s ‘wrap-around services’ for international students and applicants.
“By partnering with BorderPass, we’re emphasizing proactive strategies to further our vision of growing the North sustainably and fostering an environment of empowerment through learning,” said Northern College president and CEO Mitch Dumas in a news release.
BorderPass co-founder Sally Daub said the partnership can help the region attract and keep international students in the north.
“Regional support for international students is critical to ensure that northern communities first attract students to learn, and eventually settle and work,” she said in the release. “The partnership with Northern College increases access to legal services to assist with the challenges of studying in a new country, while opening pathways for employment and settlement to help fill gaps the community needs.”
The college is also expanding insurance options for international students.
The changes are a result of a quality assessment audit.
The college has seen its enrolment triple in the past decade and its revenue for international programs increase by $55 million from 2022 to 2023 through public-private partnerships. Students studying through public-private college partnership programs starting in September 2024 will not be eligible for student visas.
Northern also faced backlash after revoking acceptance letters for hundreds of international students last year.
“This partnership illustrates our commitment to continuing to improve the experience of international students as soon as they apply, and work through the process of attending our College. Finding efficiencies, improving operational certainty, and ensuring sustainable growth for our institution and the region while being there for our students are all key motivators for us,” said Dumas.
