A colleague of mine made some enquiries concerning studies in Canada last week. We talked on the phone for quite a long period of time. We discussed on the requirements of studies in Canada, the benefits of studying over there, the scholarship opportunities among others. Just like immigration programs, he saw the need to preevaluate his chances for getting admission in Canada and he informed me that he would get in touch soon. Sooner than I expected, he called back after the first call and agreed to start the preevaluation process but this time he inquired about permanent residency there which I obliged to giving him all the facts and requirements. Very quickly, he changed his mind to preevaluate for permanent residence in place of study. I asked myself why did he do that? I realised that he weighed his options after being more informed about the pros and cons of both pathways to Canada. So this blog article will do just that, I want to place the two options in front of you. You just need to choose between them the one that best suits your needs, financial situation and ambitions…
A colleague of mine made some enquiries concerning studies in Canada last week. We talked on the phone for quite a long period of time. We discussed on the requirements of studies in Canada, the benefits of studying over there, the scholarship opportunities among others. Just like immigration programs, he saw the need to preevaluate his chances for getting admission in Canada and he informed me that he would get in touch soon. Sooner than I expected, he called back after the first call and agreed to start the preevaluation process but this time he inquired about permanent residency there which I obliged to giving him all the facts and requirements. Very quickly, he changed his mind to preevaluate for permanent residence in place of study. I asked myself why did he do that? I realised that he weighed his options after being more informed about the pros and cons of both pathways to Canada. So this blog article will do just that, I want to place the two options in front of you. You just need to choose between them the one that best suits your needs, financial situation and ambitions.
Study Program
Starting with the Study Abroad option, this is an August opportunity for international students who want to just go abroad and study a course or program at a primary, secondary, post-secondary or language School be it a college, university, private career colleges, vocational or technical schools. Such student must get enrolled in a designated learning institution in Canada, apply in one of them while paying their tuition fees, health insurance, rent plus cost of living abroad, language tests among other fees. You also need to prove that you have enough money for these expenses, show you obey law, have no criminal offenses through police record and have a good health through medical exam and lastly prove to a Canadian officer that you will leave Canada once your study in Canada is over.
Advantages of Studying Abroad
There are many advantages of studying in Canada. you can choose Canada as your study or research destination in order to explore the scholarship opportunities available to support the best and brightest to come to Canada. You can always find these scholarships on educanada.com when you explore their database by country of origin to find scholarships, fellowships or funding opportunities made available by Global Affairs Canada and other Canadian federal government departments. You can also visit schoolfinder.com, macleans.ca, universitystudy.ca, topuniversities.com, studyincanada.com for more scholarships as well.Requirements of Canada Study Program
To study abroad, you need to get a Canadian study permit which takes roughly 27 weeks of processing after application for Nigerians. It is imperative to note that this permit is not a visa. Hence, you still need a visitor visa or electronic travel authorization (eTA). Though, one of these comes with the study permit. And the permit is valid for study program alone plus 90 days after it. You are expected to leave Canada after its expiration or extend your stay in some circumstances. You can work on-campus or off-campus while studying on Canada if your study permit allows you to do so. If it doesn’t, you can apply for it at no extra cost on you though.
Cost of Study in Canada
A typical degree program in Canada can cost $40,000CAD per year and after studying your chances of getting a job is quite higher than someone who didn’t study abroad. You can get a job faster in your home country or even in Canada if you later apply for a post graduation work permit and get a valid job offer. Unarguably, Canadian certification or degree will boost your resume or CV in front of liable employers and you can even get quick promotions and benefits on the job.Immigration Program
When it comes to immigrating to Canada as a permanent resident, there are a lot of programs you can use as a pathway among which are express entry, Atlantic immigration pilot program, provincial nomination program, rural and northern pilot program among a host of others. You can choose to work before you start your schooling or even study and work at the same time. After 6-12 months, you can sponsor your family member to come over to Canada as well and even move from one province to another which is impossible under the study abroad option.
Costs and Benefits of Immigration
For your immigration to Canada permanently, you pay less than $7,000 per year as a permanent resident to study in any school of your choice, getting access to not only scholarships but also grants, bursaries and loans based on your academic merit and financial needs. Take note that scholarships are categorized based on your field of study, school, provinces, etc and there are small and big ones which mostly covers tuitions but also can cover, flights, accommodations and even upkeep. As a permanent resident of Canada, you can also get full-time and part-time students loans just like a Canadian citizen if you can prove your financial need for it or can get the Government of Canada to pay most of your schooling costs up to 8 times more than studying as an international student.My Colleague’s Scenario
My colleague which I referred to in the introductory aspect of this article has studied in the ancient city of Ilorin, precisely in the University of Ilorin an undergraduate program but he wishes to go for a second degree abroad. I preached to him that with migration, he can work and make money with his previous degree while pursuing the second one. He needs not renew any study permit to further his studies for Master’s degree after his undergraduate program. Also, he would be able to get medical benefits, employment benefits and insurance benefits which are grossly not available to international students.
Difference Between Study Abroad and Immigration
To cap it all up, immigration to Canada can make you become a Canadian citizen after spending over 2 years cumulatively there which allows you to do every other thing that the citizens can do like start a business, vote, travel the country entirely, school, live for life, travel to your home country and come back anytime you so wish provided you can afford it and raise a Canadian family. As for study abroad, you can extend your stay, be restricted to some benefits, pay higher tuitions, live for a stipulated time and head back to your country, work on or off-campus and sometimes get temporary residence rights in Canada to work after graduation before coming back to your country.The Next Step
There you have it, the choice is yours. Is study abroad best for you? Or do you want to have more options like Canadian citizens? I can’t answer that question for you, only you can. Any option you pick, don’t forget that before you start the process, you need to preevaluation your chances so that you don’t spend time, money and energy chasing glitters which aren’t gold. Click on this link to download our preevaluation form and pay the preevaluation fee of just $20CAD (#5,000) per applicant to do that now. I would really love to help you in your travel or migration journey. Until next time, stay blessed!