Global acceptance: Canadian universities are known as the least commercialized universities in the world. They offer degrees valued at par with the US schools and other Commonwealth nations. The government’s high academic standards and rigorous quality controls ensure the quality of education for both domestic and international students. This means that students graduated from Canadian institutions benefit from global acceptance at workplace. In short, it opens doors for your future.
Affordable education: Thanks to the meticulous planning of economic management of the government which has checked the overall inflation rate over the decades. This economic achievement has made Canada a very less expensive country all the ways. The living standards and quality of education in Canada are among the highest in the world, but cost of living and tuition fees for international students are generally lower compared with other countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.
Diverse and multicultural society: Acceptance of immigrants is in the DNA of Canadians. The Canadian society understands and respects both professional and personal diversity. Such a welcoming culture has made them one of the most preferred destinations for studying and immigrating. Canada is proudly represented by the world’s ethnic groups. You will not face any difficulty in finding ethnic foods and recreation activities associated with your specific cultures. The Indian Diaspora will not allow you to be nostalgic. Places such as Toronto, Winnipeg, Vancouver, Halifax, and Calgary among others have ethnic supports and newcomers’ associations which could help you integrate into the Canadian society effortlessly.
Safe and peaceful communities: Do you know United Nations consistently ranks Canada as one of the best places for living in the world? Welcoming culture, magnanimous Canadians along with the government’s stricter regulations about possessing guns make this country superior to others. International students feel at home and their rights of freedoms and expressions are fully protected. You will experience respect for human rights, equality, and a stable and peaceful society.
Electrifying campus lifestyles: Canada’s post-secondary campuses are in sync with the latest technology and modern amenities. From public concert halls and art galleries to Olympic-quality sports facilities, they offer the best learning and leisure opportunities for students. Students have incredible opportunities to network with the like-minded individuals coming from the world and acquire invaluable experience through radio, newspapers, student-run governments and businesses.
Primary focus on innovation and research opportunities: Canadian post-secondary education gives a significant importance on research and it is an integral part of studies. Students have ample opportunities to participate in this vibrant aspect of education. Both government and industry together encourage and support research including: medicine, computer technology, environmental science, agriculture and telecommunications. Roughly over 1 billion people every day around the world rely on Canadian innovations and discoveries – including insulin, light bulb, alkaline battery, radio voice transmission, walkie-talkie, electric oven, Java programming language, electron microns, and electric wheelchair among others.
One country, many possibilities: Canadian education is a hallmark of quality which entails collaboration with other students and a great deal of interactions on various subjects with professors. Professors are right there to motivate you to think out of the box all the time. At the same time, they are overly co-operative to help and listen to you during any sorts of academic difficulties. Canada’s highly dynamic and hands-on academic environment will facilitate you to develop critical thinking, knowledge and skills in analysis and communication. Additionally, you will learn how to express yourself, demonstrate your creativity and develop self-confidence!
Excellence in language education: Canada is a bilingual country and is considered as a world leader in language training. Students improve their fluency and capacity for either language as they further their studies.
Good news for the talented people who want to try their new ideas in developed economies. Australia introduces one-of-its-kind visa category namely Global Talent Scheme (GTS) from 1st July 2018.
Most developed economies are in pursuit of inviting talented people to bolster innovative ideas which could create employment opportunities for the indigenous population and people from the world. Canada was the first in introducing such kind of visa category a few years back while Australia realizes the importance of the value of talented people who could lead by example in the years to come.
It is certainly a positive move by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) and the DIBP ensures that they are on the right track to support the Australian Government’s innovation agenda by introducing this visa category.
This will help the Government of Australia to remain connected with the world’s best and brightest human talent, thereby boosting the cutting-edge skills for innovation and startups.
Fast facts of the GTS:
What is the Global Talent Scheme (GTS)?
The GTS is a niche pilot scheme under the TSS visa program. It is a 12-month pilot program effective from 1st July 2018.
This visa category will allow employers to recruit highly-skilled positions that have not been filled by Australian workers or through other visa programs, in particular the short-term and medium-term streams of the TSS visa.
It is not an entirely new sensation to come across the stories of marriage-fraud victims intending to immigrate to various countries; most popular destinations are USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, UK and other European countries.
Some people know about their ineligibility to immigrate to such countries or others might realize hard to navigate the official channels to make their new homes. So, what happens then? There are many scammers who would advise them to marry someone to jump the immigration line.
Those who have craze of settling in these countries, they go to any lengths to fulfill their desires. And more often they get entangled into a vicious circle of deceit, crime and loss of their hard-earned money. At worst, they are banned to enter some countries forever or for some years. I have arranged a video with such stories from the official website of the Government of Canada. Think twice before committing such immigration frauds.
As expected usually that 1st July always brings some changes and fee increases from the Government of Australia, there is a nominal increase in various types of Australian visa. A legal instrument passed namely Migration Amendment (Visa Application Charges) Regulations 2018 on 21 June 2018. The below Visa Application Charges (VAC) will be effective from 1st July 2018.
Scholarships help students reduce their financial expenses for studying along with a sense of achievement and a sense of endorsement of their achievements. There are a range of scholarships available for international students wishing to study at New Zealand schools. To obtain a scholarship, you need to meet the certain scholarship criteria laid down by the specific New Zealand institution. Criteria may vary from university to university and hence check the individual website of institution. However, certain basic such as mentioned below remain constant for all countries.
Area of study
Nationality
Academic excellence (past and ongoing)
Achievement
Government’s grant for specific area of studies and nationality
Financial need
Quality of leadership
Essay writing
Community involvement or service
Gender (certain scholarships are available for male or female)
Here is the list of scholarships available in New Zealand:
The University of Waikato
University of Waikato International Excellence Scholarship
University of Waikato Foundation Studies Scholarship
University of Auckland
Commonwealth Scholarships
Asian Development Bank – Japan Scholarship Programme
Auckland University of Technology
New Zealand Commonwealth Scholarships
Education New Zealand (Part of New Zealand Government)
World-class education: NZ prides itself on offering a world-class education to students. All eight of New Zealand universities are in the top 3% in the world. They are known for leading the way through academic excellence and personalized learning.
Student safety: According to Global Peace Index, 2017, New Zealand is rated as the second most peaceful country. It is a politically stable and peaceful country with the least rates of corruption compared to the world.
Impeccable lifestyle: New Zealand is blessed as a natural abode. Students find no difficulties in maintaining work/life balance. It is a country worth exploring for all possible natural adventures to soothe away the busy and hustling life pressure.
Teaching method: NZ institutions focus on improving students’ critical thinking. By this teaching approach, they believe in creating the future leaders. Their academic courses are designed to encourage practicality and hands-on learning.
Welcoming community: New Zealanders are welcoming and respectful of others culture. Every city is an epitome of multiculturalism.
Education system in New Zealand
New Zealand education system mirrors the British-based erudition system that is recognized worldwide. This model facilitates the student mobility on choice between institutes of New Zealand and other English-speaking countries during their studies. Both international and domestic students share classrooms together and are encouraged to actively participate to gain learning of various facets in their courses. The internationalization of teaching offers the collaborative learning between both types of students. Universities and colleges are well-equipped with offering competitive degrees on broad fields of study. The Government of New Zealand better understands the value of international education and its positive impact on various dimensions.
Work rights for international students
International students are authorized to work part-time up to 20 hours a week while studying or full-time in the holidays, depending upon your visa conditions. They cannot work until they have commenced their course in New Zealand.
Visa Requirements
In order to succeed in your student visa application, you must demonstrate your genuine intent to study, have enough financial support to pay your tuition fees, maintenance expenses and air tariff.
Apart from these basic visa requirements set out by the New Zealand Immigration department, you may also need following documents/evidence:
Offer Letter: Your university/ITP/college will issue an offer letter which depicts your full name, DoB/Passport Number, student ID, name of the course, length, concentration (discipline), title of degree, full-time status, and tuition fees.
Health and medical checks: You will need to have a chest x-ray and/or a medical examination as proof of your good health.
Travel Insurance: Travel insurance is mandatory for international students for the entire period of their stay on a student visa.
Guarantee of Stay for Minors (less than 18 years): An undertaking from a person or an institution stating that the student has suitable accommodation arranged in New Zealand.
Proof of Language Proficiency Certificate: The IELTS mark card is one of the prerequisites for New Zealand schools and Immigration Department.
Selecting which university to attend can be a difficult decision for your students. By offering a variety of scholarship opportunities, Study Group is working towards making that decision easier.
Baylor University: Ranked #75 University in the USA by U.S. News and World Report
Campus-funded scholarships are available (for direct entry). All students are automatically considered
City College of New York: #16 Public School – Regional Universities North by U.S. News and World Report, 2018
Campus-funded scholarships available to students
James Madison University: #4 Public School – Regional Universities South by U.S. News and World Report, 2018
Scholarships available for ISC students through Study Group
Lipscomb University: Ranked #181 National University by U.S. News and World Report
Scholarships available for ISC students through Study Group
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) introduces the new study permit guidelines for students from India, China, Vietnam and the Philippines.
Since April 2009, the ambitious plan called the Student Partners Program (SPP) had been operational in India until three days back. The success of this proactive plan to invite international students, especially from India and China was evident and was all set to invite a great number of students year on year basis. Because of the consistency of this visa policy program, IRCC witnessed a multifold rise in the student number from India and other countries.
With the grand success of SPP, IRCC is making great strides in promoting Canada as a study destination for international students by implementing efficient ways to process study permits. Now, the government has decided to replace the SPP with the Student Direct Stream (SDS). The SDS visa framework is effective from 9th June 2018 in four countries: India, China, Vietnam and the Philippines. More importantly, the Government of Canada is working on expanding this SDS program to Africa and contemplating adding Kenya and Senegal. Senegal seems to be getting priority because it has a rich French colonial heritage. Recently, we have seen the government is keen on inviting international students and intended immigrants who are proficient in French language to meet the acute needs of the French speaking manpower in certain industries and in various pockets of the country. Senegal fits into this story!
All these four countries and probably along with the new entrants i.e. Africa, Kenya and Senegal would be aligned together into one program to ensure the operational smoothness and consistency.
What all new changes have been introduced in the SDS program? Let’s study the existing policies versus the previous ones:
SDS
SPP
Tuition payment for the first year of study at a designated community college in Canada
Tuition payment for the first semester of study at a designated community college in Canada
No CHANGE
Purchase of a Guaranteed Investment Certificate (GIC) of $10,000
A qualifying score of at least 6 in IELTS, with no less than 6.0 band in any module*
A qualifying score of at least 6 band overall in IELTS, with no less than 5.5 band in any module
* The Government website doesn’t clarify the score of individual module, but the country-specific-checklist does.
All these new changes have now become a reality. What ramifications could we expect from these new changes in the context of Indian students wishing to study in Canada?
The upfront tuition payment for the first year: To date, parents/sponsors have been paying the one semester tuition fees before the final application for a study permit was lodged. For example, if we take the average of annual tuition fee of any community college on the upper side it comes to around CAD$ 14,000 (₹ 756,000). The Indian students paid around CAD$ 7,000 (₹ 378,000) for being the first semester tuition fees plus CAD$ 10,000 for purchase of a GIC. This totaled to CAD$17,000 (₹ 918,000). With this new SDS program, the upfront tuition payment doubles to CAD$ 14,000. It means students would be making the payment of CAD$ 24,000 (CAD$14,000 + CAD$ 10,000). So, the total expense comes to around ₹ 1,296,000 against INR 918,000, an increase by ₹ 378,000.
Students whose parents are struggling with finances take a hit with this new change. Unequivocally, this new policy is better for the Government of Canada but may not bring happiness for some Indian students. Further, looking at the hawkish stance of the RBI in India it seems that the interest rate would go up whereby the educational bank loan would also become expensive in the months to come. In a nutshell, with this SDS program parents would have a double whammy of loan interest increases and the burden of additional payment of one semester tuition fee.
A qualifying score of IELTS: As I do not have the official statistics about the median individual score of IELTS of the Indian students, I am presenting my assumptions.
If we were to believe that students wishing to study in Canada needed minimum 6.0 band in each module of the IELTS test, there would certainly be a massive amount of frustration among students. Over the decades, we have seen students slide by 0.5 band score at least in one of the individual modules, especially either in Writing section or Reading section. Some students may manage to keep their nerve and win over this difficulty, but NOT all for sure. Consequently, students really need to prepare well for the IELTS test or they may face desperation and loss of the hard-earned money after paying for the test repeatedly.
Any new change either brings the luck or puts someone down: One man’s nightmare is another man’s dream. Ergo, some students will be caught in the crossfire of a silent scream.
Who will be reaping the harvest of SDS?
It goes without saying that British Council and IDP would be the greatest beneficiaries of this new change of the test score revision. Their numbers are already on the rise, and they could witness another 20% to 25% growth for Academic IELTS in the Indian market.
Paragon Testing Enterprises which is a subsidiary of University of British Columbia has finally decided to open a testing center in India by the end of Summer 2018. The first test center will be opened in the capital, New Delhi.
The CELPIP test center stands for Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP). The CELPIP is a 100% Canadian English test designed for permanent residence status. There are two designated tests accepted as evidence of English language proficiency by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for immigration purpose – one is CELPIP and the other is IELTS General module.
The CELPIP test is developed by Paragon Testing Enterprises, a subsidiary of University of British Columbia. It is the first-ever Canadian English test which is designated by IRCC and mirrors the best in Canadian research. The test is designed to give prominence to Canadian English and accents as used in Canada.
The best part of CELPIP is it measures your functional language proficiency which is more relevant for day-to-day life. It focuses on test taker’s English abilities in a variety of different situations and contexts, such as how you communicate with your colleagues and others at workplace, interact with your friends, comprehend and respond to the written materials and understand news items. It is a complete measurement of your English abilities which include four modules of your language skills: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking.
The CELPIP comes in two versions: the CELPIP – General test and the CELPIP – General LS test. Those who intend to immigrate to Canada can take the CELPIP General test to fulfill the requirement of English language proficiency for IRCC.
Current unemployment rate is 4.3% and inflation rate is 3%
The UK is known as a business hub of Europe. The country is also known for producing best scientists, innovators and business tycoons. There are many high-paying jobs in various sectors. We have rounded up the list of high-paying jobs for you. Here are top ten unmissable jobs with the most potential:
Quant developers
Job outlook: One of the sought-after jobs in the tech industry is a quant developer. Typically, they work with the team of researchers to create and deliver custom software solutions for businesses.
Average salary: £92,910
Java architects
Job outlook: Java architects are considered the backbones in the tech world and their role is a key to the IT infrastructure. By analyzing information requirements, they define infrastructures for design and further integration of internet computing systems. They are responsible for determining platform architecture, and involved in many other technical indispensable jobs.
Average salary: £82,016
Financial services lawyers
Job outlook: By the first look, it gives an impression that such professionals would be fighting in the court. But, it is not in real terms. Financial services lawyers advise clients about funds and asset management and pension. Their job also encompasses a wide range of responsibilities including getting their clients acquainted with the existing financial services regulation and insurance.
Average salary: £80,520
Corporate lawyers
Job outlook: Amid corporate scandals and tax evasions, regulatory bodies have adopted stringent laws to protect the interest of shareholders and others in general. Because of severity in nature of corporate deals, some corporations have in-house legal counsel or retain the expert lawyers to defend their cases or fight such types of cases against others. These corporate lawyers help their clients to interpret laws and deal with the legal issues.
Average salary: £77,596
Pediatric intensive care nurse
Job outlook: I guess this prestigious job does not need any introduction. Pediatric nurses have a huge responsibility on their shoulders to get young children back on their feet. Nurses work under high pressure situations. They care for critically ill children in intensive unit and share their up-to-date observations to the concerned doctors.
Average salary: £68,808
General practitioners
Job outlook: GPs are the saviors on this earth and again one of the most sought-after jobs. Their demand would never die down ever. National Health Service (NHS) always has openings for medical practitioners in the UK.
Average salary: £68,369
Lead business analysts
Job outlook: Business dynamics never remain constant and bring challenges all the time, especially when every company is out there to go to any length in competition. All the businesses need to make use of technology at the optimum level so as they can stay ahead of challenges. From gathering details about consumer behavior to any other business analytics they bring in new software and technologies. However, it is a daunting task for mangers to make employees use these new features top-down. Business analysts make sure that how everyone uses such a new fancy piece of software. So, somebody who has a knack of doing business analysis with the IT background puts this job in order.
Average salary: £66,475
Sonographers
Job outlook: “According to Adzuna, sonographers – medical professionals who perform diagnostic ultrasounds on patients – were among the best-paid workers in the UK this year.”
Average salary: £66,374
Senior iOS developers
Job outlook: iOS developers are responsible for designing, recoding and creating new mobiles apps powered by Apple’s iOS operating systems. The world is getting digital with the stronger penetration of iPhones worldwide; these developers seem to remain in demand for the years to come.
Average salary: £65,187
Biostatisticians
Job outlook: The chief responsibilities of biostatisticians are to apply their skills of mathematics and statistics to a varied range of topics in biology. The UK is known for its researching on various ailments of humankind and discovering of breakthrough technologies for making life beautiful.
