The new measures announced by the federal government to help international students is welcome news, says Northern College’s international manager.
“We’re very glad our immigration system responded to our concerns very effectively,” said manager of international operations Xiaojuan (Edna) Zhang. “Our policy really shows flexibility which is in favour of the international students.”
July 14, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced additional measures to help international students.
According to the news release, the agency will implement a two-stage approval process consisting of approval-in-principle and eligibility/admissibility.
Applicants can pass the first stage by showing they’ve been accepted to a Canadian university or college and are able to pay for tuition.
Once they receive an approval-in-principle, they can begin studying online from their home countries and count that time towards their post-graduation work permit (PGWP) as long as 50 per cent of their studies are completed in Canada.
Students will be allowed to enter Canada once they pass a medical exam, a police background check, submit biometrics and receive final approval.
“This will build the confidence for students to make the decision as long as they submit their application before Sept. 15 and finish 50 per cent of their program in Canada later,” Zhang said. “We’re very glad to have this policy to solve these problems and concerns of international students as much as we can.”
About 270 new foreign students have paid to study at Northern College and are waiting for their visa approval, Zhang said, including 60 to 70 students who have already received their visas. There are also about 400 returning international students.
“Compared to the previous regulations, we go further step,” she said. “Before this (news) release, 80 per cent of our students were waiting for the answer if they should start (their studies) in September or not.”
The college’s international team conducted a survey which showed that the majority of foreign students are still eager to study in Canada, even given the current situation, Zhang said, and the results surprised the team.
“That indicates that Canada is still a very attractive market for international students. It’s a very favourable destination for international study.”
The survey also showed if students study remotely, they may face challenges such as having technical or Internet problems, time zone differences, having a lack of support or feeling lonely. The college’s international team is working on a plan to support these students overseas, Zhang said.
Currently, students who had their study permits approved before March 18 and those travelling for essential purposes are exempt from travel restrictions.
Students will have the option of either waiting to have their visas approved and start their programs at the next available intake or they can start studying in September while waiting for their visas.
However, there’s a risk that students may have their visas refused or be refused entry at the border if their travel is considered non-essential, Zhang said.
“They need to weigh in the factors, the risks, and they need to make a decision,” she said.
Some college programs in the fall will be offered online but for some hands-on health science and engineering programs with labs and workshops, safety measures and protection equipment will be provided to ensure everyone’s safety, Zhang said.
For those students who need to come to Canada to attend programs that require physical attendance, the college’s international team will be issuing support letters to help protect them from being denied entry.
All arriving international students will also be asked to self-isolate for 14 days at the South Porcupine campus.
“We will have special staff to provide them three meals every day and provide necessities. They will not be allowed to go out from the building until the complete the quarantine,” Zhang said.
“It’s an option," she added. "It will be ideal if all of them would want to quarantine and we hope so but we can’t force students to stay on campus. We’re just trying to persuade them, to let them know this is the best option.”
