Why study in Canada as an international student? When you think of studying abroad what factors would you keep in mind? The reasons are as plentiful as Canada’s vast open spaces, as diverse as its people are, and as abundant as the opportunities available to those who live, study, and work here.
Canada is a land of immense opportunities and endless possibilities. Each year, hundreds of thousands international students choose Canada as their study destination.
For the past few years, Canada has been one of the most desirable educational destinations for international students. Canada ranks third in the world for numbers of international students, as one of the favorite study abroad destinations.
It is hardly a surprise considering that Canada has excellent educational system, English and French learning options, friendly and welcoming culture, and favorable living costs.
Known for its scenic landscapes, Canada is a popular country for immigration and the highest population growth of the industrialized countries.
Canada’s excellent educational system, higher life expectancy, greater national income, and better quality of life have played vital role in deciding this status. Other factors like, comfortable population density, model health care system, Canada’s abundance of fresh water, low incidence of violent crime are also the reasons.
Why study in Canada as an international student? When you think of studying abroad what factors would you keep in mind? The reasons are as plentiful as Canada’s vast open spaces, as diverse as its people are, and as abundant as the opportunities available to those who live, study, and work here.
Quality education and internationally recognized degrees, a safe destination of study, cost-effective studies, and a welcoming and multicultural environment make it one of the favored destinations among international students to study in Canada.
When you choose to study in Canada as an international student, you are making the right choice for your future. After all, a Canadian education is an investment in you or your children.
Canada is one of the leading countries in the world for education. It has one of the top colleges and universities ratings globally. Canada is recognized worldwide for its high academic standards, from elementary to secondary, colleges, universities and beyond.
This is why a large number of students select study in Canada as their preferred choice.
Let us look at few most important points and advantages, which make Canada as favorite study abroad destination and ideal choice for international education and benefits that attract students to study in Canada:
In this article, we present to you the top 20 reasons why Canada is good for international students studying abroad.
When you travel abroad to study, you usually get a temporary status in the country you are studying. That temporary status usually expires when your study program ends, so you have to return to your home country when you graduate. However, sometimes you enjoy being in a foreign country so much that you do not ever want to leave.
There is tremendous value to studying in Canada. If you decide that you love Canada enough to live there after your study abroad experience, you may consider immigrating after earning your degree or diploma and acquiring at least a year of working experience. Once you meet the minimum qualifications, you may apply for a visa for permanent residency. If approved, you can live in Canada for the rest of your life.
Canada has many programs designed to encourage international students to transition to permanent residence after their studies. Options like the Post-Graduation Work Permit let graduates stay and work on an open work permit after graduation and give them an opportunity to get some Canadian work experience.
Most Canadian provinces have Provincial Nominee Program streams for applicants with experience studying or working in the province, and Canada’s federal economic immigration streams offer additional points for Canadian work and study experience. Each of Canada’s ten provinces has at least one immigration stream dedicated to the recruitment for permanent residence of foreigners, who recently graduated from institutions in a Canadian province. Many streams are very broad in their focus while others are targeted for graduates with training in specific areas, such as applied sciences or natural sciences. There are also permanent residency pathways for those with entrepreneurial ambitions. Some programs are designed for specific levels of education like a Master’s or Ph.D.
Studying in Canada also demands and develops strong skills in English or French, another key to gaining permanent residency and succeeding in Canada. In fact, many new Canadians start their path to citizenship through post-secondary education. What begins as a search for adventure can end in falling in love with Canada.
By encouraging immigration schemes that support international students, Canada gains highly educated, productive members of society who make Canada a better country by contributing to academia, working at its best firms, serving as doctors, scientists, etc.
Canada is one of the few nations that offer job opportunities to international students who have graduated from Canadian universities or colleges and have obtained a Canadian degree or diploma.
After graduation, students with knowledge and skills who are in Canada for higher education get placed easily in top companies with their dream job. Job prospects are strong for international students in Canada due to the skill shortage. Good industry-academia tie-ups ensure that most deserving students get placed within 3 months of their graduation.
Canada’s Post-Graduation Work Permit Program (PWPP) allows international students to stay and work in Canada for up to three years after completion of their graduation. Once graduates complete a post-secondary program from a university or college in Canada, they are eligible for an open work permit known as Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP). You get 1-year PGWP if you study minimum 1 year and you get a 3-year PGWP if you study a minimum 2 years full-time diploma or degree program. An international student should apply for a PGWP within 90 days of graduation.
A PGWP allows a great degree of freedom in working legally in Canada. A PGWP holder can choose to work full-time, or part time. He or she has the option of working for himself or herself or an employer. PGWP holders are exempt from the requirement of the Labor Market Impact Assessment. This exemption means that the employer does not have to first prove that there is no Canadian citizen or permanent resident available to take the job.
You can gain some international work experience and apply for permanent residency later on. During this work permit, the day student gains 12 months of full-time work experience or minimum 1560 hours of working in the occupation, he or she is eligible to apply for permanent residence as per the eligibility criteria of the Canadian Government.
Even though Canada is a relatively affordable option, there is no doubt that studying abroad is expensive for many international students. Fortunately, Canada treats students as adults and provides them many opportunities to learn and earn.
Thanks to its special regulations, Canada provides all its international students with an opportunity to work for up to 20 hours every week during their semesters and full-time working opportunity during the summer and winter breaks.
To work on-campus or as an intern in any company, you would not require any additional work permit as your study permit is enough to help you find a part-time job.
There are many part-time jobs available off-campus for students like jobs in hotels, hostels, different companies, etc. These jobs are like being accountants or cashiers, managers at stores, sales people, tutors, general labor, etc. Even inside the universities, many part-time job opportunities are available which are very much useful for the students.
In Canada, these part-time jobs are considered very respectful and give a student a real-life experience at work. This also enables students to earn their living cost and understand the value of money. You earn money on hourly basis and the minimum amount is predefined.
To ensure that students focus on their study, the Canadian government has restricted the part time job to only 20 hours per week during semester terms and has allowed working full-time (minimum 30 hours per week) during scheduled breaks.
Scholarships, grants, and bursaries are available for international students who wish to study in Canada, at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. You may be eligible for a scholarship, fellowship or grant to study in Canada.
The Government of Canada, Canadian provinces and territories and many educational institutions offer funding for students. Canadian universities and colleges also offer many scholarships specially designed for their international students. The educational institutes will consider you automatically for award of scholarships when you apply.
Not only fees but also the scholarship opportunities reduce the expenses and you will get the best education at minimal fees, should you choose to travel to Canada for higher education. If you are a student planning to pursue higher education in Canada, make sure you check out the scholarship opportunities from time to time.
If you are just looking for a way to pay your tuition, it may be a good idea to look into scholarships for studying abroad in Canada, although these are sometimes hard to find. You can contact university or college of your choice for more information.
International applicants are also encouraged to research study abroad scholarship opportunities offered by organizations in their home country.
One of the most important aspects of choosing your study abroad destination is cost. Canada offers not only quality education, but also an education, which is affordable for international students. Canadian academic institutes charge lower tuition fees for international students than their counterparts in competing countries and at the same time, maintain excellent educational quality.
Canadian international students have to pay higher tuition fees than domestic students. That said, compared to other countries worldwide, you will find that study in Canada is so popular from a solely financial point of view. Studying in Canada offers great value for money in terms of tuition fees and living costs.
Whatever your budget may be, you will find something just right for you in Canada’s diverse range of education options. Universities in Canada determine their own tuition fees, and the cost of program depends largely on the type of course and the subject.
The best thing about Canada is that the average cost of studies and living expenses for international students is lower than in other top student destinations – the US, the UK, and Australia. When you combine the average annual tuition fees and average annual cost of living, Canada is clearly the most affordable option.
Considering the return on investment and keeping in mind the part-time and full-time work opportunities, Canada is the most affordable option for international students. Qualified students can also apply to a range of scholarships to reduce their educational expenses.
One of the most important reasons why students choose to study in Canada is because of the high quality of education. When a student receives a degree from a Canadian university, it acts as a mark of trust and excellence.
Canada places a lot of importance to education and maintains very high standards in education. A degree acquired from Canadian universities is recognized globally and is valued highly in the international job market. Canadian schools, colleges and universities offer internationally recognized qualifications, so you can go anywhere after graduation and excel in your chosen field.
Canadian universities hold an international exceptional reputation in the areas of engineering, science, health sciences, humanities, creative arts, and business.
International students form a noticeable 10% of the student population in Canada’s institutions. The Canadian universities have been attracting a pool of talent from all over the world for they have been highly ranked among international schools and universities. Canada has one of the highest enrollments every year for its undergraduate and post-graduate programs.
As far as education streams are concerned, all sorts of programs from various streams are available in Canadian Colleges and Universities. Be it engineering, IT, economics, healthcare, management, agriculture, sports, accounting, mining, petroleum, renewable energies or any other stream, you can be certain to find a relevant program in Canada.
Each university in Canada has its own requirements for admission and transferring credits from other institutions.
Canada has some of the top universities with academic excellence in the world and is a leader in research that changes lives. The top ranking of the universities in Canada can be credited to the good quality of teaching faculties and research facilities.
Universities from Canada have a long history and reputation in terms of academic performance and high graduate employability rate. In fact, many of the Canadian higher educational institutions compete with leading and famous universities from the U.S. and the UK for instance.
Since education is a provincial responsibility, the provincial governments ensure that the quality of education is consistently very high throughout Canada irrespective of the type of institution – university or college. If you want to gain a bachelor’s degree or a master’s degree, choose from a wide range of universities as per your eligibility. If you are looking for shorter and relevant route to gain skills to become employable, choose from a number of specialized diplomas, advanced diplomas and post-graduate diplomas at Canadian colleges.
One of the biggest reasons why Canadian education stands unique is because of its strong focus on research and development. If you are a research scholar, there can be no country better than Canada for ample research opportunities in the disciplines of technology, medicine, telecommunication, agriculture, and environmental science.
Canadian universities focus on research and many praise their groundbreaking discoveries. Most study programs delivered by Canadian universities focus a lot on research. Students get to engage in intriguing experiments and projects, meant to provide them a complete study experience, based on innovation and forward thinking.
Food and accommodation is the main living cost incurred by students. Students in Canada have a number of options when it comes to accommodation. All universities and colleges provide accommodation to the students.
However, most of the students prefer to take off campus accommodation, which is lesser than the price of on campus accommodation. Many students prefer to live outside campus to share the lower cost of living with friends.
Whether you are staying on campus or living in a private residence, you will be able to find the right housing for you.
Living expenses can vary from city to city and province to province because the cost of accommodation, food, and local transportation is different for each city or province.
The priciest university cities are Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary, and Victoria, while some of the cheapest university cities are Hamilton, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Ottawa, and Quebec City.
Canada is known for being an inclusive and diverse country. Canadian classrooms provide supportive learning environments and value academic freedom, innovation, and excellence. The Canadians universities welcome people of all religions, backgrounds, beliefs, abilities, and sexual orientations.
Canada is a bilingual country, which makes studying here an excellent opportunity to develop your language skills and boost your prospects for an interesting career. Coursework in French and English is an integral part of Canada’s educational system, which enriches its community and cultural life.
Apart from education, there will be several events happening around the university. Every university has its own events and parties, which involve students, concentrating to not only study but also cultural events that help to mingle with multicultural people in the university. International Students will definitely enjoy the different campus lifestyle and fun way of learning, as they pursue higher education in Canada.
At all Canadian campuses, you can expect events, fests, and other activities being conducted all through the year. This creates a happy and lively environment for all the students, which helps them to network and meet new people besides keeping the homesickness away.
Sports at Canadian universities and colleges are popular and competitive.
Canada, as a society, is very warm and welcoming. People from different countries have been migrating to Canada for a long time. This gives Canada an edge in terms of cultural diversity. Canada and Canadians embrace that diversity and recognize that as their strength. Canada has the best-educated people and the highest literacy rate in the world.
With good quality and safe accommodation available at affordable rates to students, Canada is home to many student-friendly cities. International students enjoy the same freedoms as Canadians do.
Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, and Quebec cover for the largest foreign-student population and all of these cities provide a vibrant and lively atmosphere. In Canada, students can pleasantly combine an enriching academic life with diverse and entertaining leisure activities.
If you would rather mingle with the people, you will probably enjoy the nightlife the big cities of Canada afford college students. The university campuses provide plenty of activities, sports, and clubs for students to participate.
The Canadian Government and Universities play an important role for the safety of students inside the university and across the country. Starting from health care to safety and security, essential measures are taken to keep students safe.
Relative to other countries, medical insurance is very inexpensive in almost every hospital in Canada yet the services that Canadian hospitals provide are among some of the most advanced and accessible in the world.
It is easy for a student to stay in Canada and get necessary healthcare services. International students are required to buy student health insurance costing around $600 per year.
Going off to a university is an adventure as you embark on your adult life. Preparing for your future can be both a scary and exciting stage of your life. Studying abroad provides plenty of opportunities for life-changing experiences. It is one thing to experience the college culture of your home country, however, it is quite another to experience the higher education and lifestyle of another country.
Study abroad programs make it possible for students from all over the world to visit other countries and gain valuable life experiences that will help them both personally and professionally. You get to interact with people from another country and culture while sharing your home country and culture. You build a network of friendships and professional connections that are likely to help you as you pursue a career. At the same time, you are acquiring valuable skills, such as open-mindedness, independence, organization, and working with others, that will help you both personally and professionally.
Canada truly is a land where dreams can come true. The possibilities for your future are endless. Canada truly covers all the ingredients to help you achieve whatever you have planned for your future successful career down the road.
If you are looking for a high standard of living, Canada is a great place to live and work. Standard of living is referred to as the level of comfort, wealth, material goods, and necessities available to a certain class or area.
Canadians and international students in Canada enjoy a high standard of living and an excellent quality of life. Canada is one of the safest countries in the world, with a low crime rate. In terms of social progress and development, Canada is ranked the second country in the world with the highest quality of life.
Canada boasts a cost of living (for example housing, academic tuition fee, and transportation) that is lower than in other countries, such as the US, the UK and France, and offers stability, safety, and respect for the rights of individuals and communities.
Canada’s high levels of universal education, long life expectancy (due to universal health care system), low crime, less violence are factors, which make Canada a safe country to live with a high quality of life. All urban areas have a variety of shopping centers, art centers, restaurants, theaters, and museums. Canadian cities are brimming with public parks, gardens, beach, sports, and leisure facilities.
Canada has two official languages, French and English. After the arrival of a number of students and immigrants to Canada, it has become a multilingual country with many languages, religions, and culture. Even though it is a mixed society, there will not be any problems of race and color.
For over a century, Canada with official bilingual languages, now there are another 200 languages spoken here and about 60 Indigenous languages make Canada a multilingual society.
About 75% of Canada’s French-speaking inhabitants live in Quebec, which is located in the eastern part of the country, but there are French-speaking communities throughout the country. English is the main language of communication in all provinces other than Quebec.
With two national languages, universities in Canada are experts in language studies. Your study in Canada is the perfect opportunity to add another language to your repertoire, which is vital in the business world and a huge advantage.
All universities from Canada offer English-taught degrees for all Bachelors’, Master’s, and PhD level, so your main concern is to find a field of study according to your preferences.
International students who are considering studying in Canada will want to familiarize themselves with the Canadian work culture, the way of life, and the customs they can expect to experience.
One of the greatest things about studying in Canada is the opportunity to experience a climate, culture, and way of life that is beyond compare. Canadian people are famous for their hospitality, amicability, and accommodating nature.
Canada is such an immense country. It is extremely varied in its people, landscape, climate, and way of life. However, Canadians do share important values such as pride, a belief in equality and diversity, and respect for all individuals.
Life in a new country can be full of surprises. It is also an amazing adventure. The neat and clean environment of Canada adds beauty to the place. International students can not only feed their minds but also feast their eyes with the scenic beauty around them when they reach Canada for their higher education.
Canada has one of the most beautiful and excellent natural environments. Students here will be fortunate enough to enjoy the beautiful natural scenery outdoors or explore nature and seeing a variety of wildlife. Sitting in the northern half of the North American continent, Canada experiences a warm summer and a very cold winter each year.
Canada has more lakes than all the lakes combined in the world. If you have never experienced a light snowfall in winter or watching the flowers bloom on apple trees in spring, you are in for a treat in Canada. Students who come in Canada for higher education can take time off to explore nature, wildlife, amusement parks, and many other astonishing tourist spots in Canada.
From hiking the West Coast trail to lobster fishing in the Atlantic and everything in between, Canada is heaven for students like you who love to explore. With a huge range of landscapes, from massive mountains, to green vegetation, to snow-capped hills, the choice is endless. Canada is full of famous tourist attractions, such as the Niagara Falls, the beautiful Glacier National Park, the imposing Canadian Rockies, the equally gorgeous Banff National Park, to name a few.
Canada is rich in diversity and has a well-deserved international reputation as a tolerant and non-discriminatory society. Canada has a national policy for multiculturalism and works to ensure that people’s customs and traditions are preserved and respected. Canadian laws protect all people, regardless of their circumstance, from discrimination.
Canada has always welcomed immigrants. Canadians are friendly and respectful of differences. Canadian educational institutions encourage new students from abroad and strive to grow their international student population.
Canadians value people of all cultures, ages, religions, abilities, and talents and work hard to ensure everyone feels welcome in Canada.
Canada is a multicultural country and has a highly diverse population, resulting in a rich and vibrant cultural scene. Canadians are some of the friendliest people in the world. Canada is the first country in the world to affirm multiculturalism as a fundamental value. More than 22% of Canadian population was born elsewhere in the world.
In Canada, you will find extremely warm and welcoming people who come from varied ethnic groups all over the globe with different cultures and lifestyle. You get to meet different people and get to learn languages, traditions, values, and viewpoints leading to the development of intercultural competencies that help you manage the challenges of a global workplace.
You will come across people speaking different languages regularly in all parts of the country. Although English is a primary language, French is another primary language of the country, so expect to see signs and information in both languages wherever you go.
You will be able to experience well-preserved Canadian culture, but do not be surprised to come across cuisine or other aspects of your home country on occasion.
An important factor for most international students while choosing a study abroad program is the safety and security of the country and the city in particular.
Canada is one of the safest places to study with very low crime rates and very few cases of racial discrimination. Canadian universities take every step to ensure the safety of students in campuses. Most universities have their own campus security 24 hours a day.
Canada is a safe, just, and peace-loving nation and is one of the most nonviolent and politically stable countries. Unlike most other countries, Canada is isolated in terms of location. Canada is protected on three sides by oceans, and only shares a border with the United States. That distance provides a buffer from most international conflicts.
Canada has a democratically elected government, and the fundamental rights and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects freedoms of those living in Canada. Canada is also relatively unaffected by natural disasters. Canadians are proud of their place in the world.