Scholarships up for grabs for international students from 21 countries

Fifty scholarships worth up to $12,700 each are expected to be given by Global Affairs Canada to qualifying international students from 21 countries throughout Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Africa this year.

Global Affairs Canada (GAC) provides these Study in Canada Scholarships directly to the college or university for students from:

  • Bangladesh;
  • Nepal;
  • Taiwan;
  • Turkey; 
  • Ukraine;
  • Algeria;
  • Egypt;
  • Jordan;
  • Libya;
  • Morocco;
  • Tunisia;
  • Burkina Faso;
  • Ethiopia;
  • Ghana;
  • Ivory Coast;
  • Kenya;
  • Nigeria;
  • Rwanda;
  • Senegal;
  • Tanzania, and;
  • Uganda.

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The students need to already be registered in full-time studies at a post-secondary institution in an eligible country or territory and be paying tuition fees to that institution at the time of the application and for the full duration of the exchange.

The Deadline Date for These Scholarships Is March 22

The deadline to apply under the Study in Canada Scholarships program this year is March 22.

The scholarships offered under the program include: 

  • $10,200 for college, undergraduate or graduate students (master’s and PhD) for a minimum of four months or one academic term of study or research, or;
  • $12,700 for graduate students (master’s and PhD) for a period of five to six months of study or research.

The colleges and universities also get an additional $500 per scholarship recipient to cover administrative costs once he or she arrives in Canada.

This student exchange program, which replaces the full-degree Study in Canada Scholarships program piloted in 2020, provides students from colleges and universities in eligible countries and territories with short-term exchange opportunities for study or research in Canada.

Universities Need to Apply for the International Students for These Scholarships

Applications for the scholarships are evaluated based on:

  • the merit of the research or study to be undertaken in Canada;
  • the benefit to the home institution and peers;
  • the benefit to the Canadian institution, supervisor and peers;
  • the strength of the linkages to be created through the proposed exchange, and;
  • rankings submitted by the Canadian institution.

Colleges and universities can apply for each candidate after registering an account and must complete these applications online.

As part of the application process, colleges and universities need to provide supporting documents, including: 

  • a proof of citizenship;
  • a letter of intent from the candidate;
  • a letter of proof of full-time enrolment from the home institution;
  • a signed copy of the memorandum of understanding with the partner institution;
  • a letter of support from the home institution, and, for graduate students only;
  • a letter of invitation from the Canadian supervisor.

Scholarships Cover Study Visa, Airfare, Health Insurance, Books and Living Expenses

The money provided under these scholarships can be used for: 

  • visa or study permit and work permit fees;
  • airfare for the scholarship recipient only via the most direct and economical route;
  • health insurance;
  • living expenses, such as accommodation, utilities and food;
  • ground transportation, including a public transportation pass, and;
  • books and supplies required for the recipient’s study or research, excluding computers and other equipment.

Foreign nationals who have already applied for Canadian citizenship or permanent residency – or are already participating in another federal scholarship program – are not eligible for the Study in Canada Scholarships.

International students already enrolled in a degree, diploma or certificate program at a Canadian post-secondary institution are also ineligible.

Study permit applications from African countries treated fairly and without bias, says IRCC

African countries do have lower rates of approval for study permit applications to Canada but immigration officials here deny any bias in the processing of those applications.

Instead, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) officials point to growing cost of tuition at Canadian universities for international students and the rising cost of living. 


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Certainly, immigration officials in Canada insist study permits from African countries – including those French-speaking African countries which have low approval rates – are handled exactly the same as those from other countries.

Canada Handles All Study Permit Applications Against Same Criteria, Says Ircc 

“The approval rate for study permit applications from applicants residing in French-speaking countries in Africa is comparable to the approval rate for all other African countries,” a Canadian immigration official reportedly told The Pie News.

The international education news website contacted the IRCC in the wake of allegations that Canada was turning down increasingly higher percentages of applications for study permits from African countries, particularly francophone ones.

The immigration official, who is not identified in The Pie News report, said Canada considers applications on a case-by-case basis and the decisions are made by highly-trained officers who carefully and systematically assess each application against Immigration and Refugee Protection Act criteria.

In the international education sector, though, there are grumblings over Canada’s higher-than-usual refusal rate for study permits from African countries.

Canadian Bureau for International Education president and CEO Larissa Bezo warned Canada’s Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration on Feb 1 the country’s high refusal rate for applicants from francophone countries in Africa is a problem.

“Each rejection letter is not only personally devastating for the student who has successfully qualified for admission to a Canadian institution (but) each rejection also arguably represents a failure of process, a waste of resources for the student and for the institution,” said Bezo.

“Higher refusal rates have a direct impact on our recruitment efforts”

Refused International Students Are a Lost Opportunity, Say Higher Education Experts

“(It’s also) a loss of opportunity for the community where the student planned to study, and fewer chances to increase the people-to-people (connections) that come through education, to promote Canada’s long-term global engagement and future prosperity.”

Universities Canada president Paul Davidson agrees.

The head of the non-profit organization which represents Canadian university presidents described the high refusal rates for applications from French-speaking African countries as an urgent challenge to be addressed.

The average approval rates for countries which are the biggest sources of international students in Canada range from about 80 to 95 per cent. But that’s hardly the case for applications from some Africa countries. 

In 2019, Morocco had an international study permit approval rate of only 55 per cent and Senegal’s approval rate was a mere 20 per cent, said Davidson.

Christian Fotang, chair of the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations, says more resources are needed from Canada’s immigration department to help international students settle in Canada. 

Canadian immigration officials, however, deny there is any bias in the process and that other factors are at play. 

Many Applicants Fail to Demonstrate Sufficient Funds to Study and Live in Canada

Among them is the ability of the prospective student to demonstrate that he or she can cover the cost of tuition and living expenses while in Canada, a necessary requirement to obtain a study permit. 

All of those costs have been going up in the past couple of years.

This year, Canada is seeing its highest inflation rate in 30 years, 4.8 per cent. And tuition costs for international students went up again for this school year after a steep jump the previous year.

“In 2021-2022, the average tuition fees for international, undergraduate students in Canada rose 4.9 per cent from a year earlier to $33,623,” reports Statistics Canada. “This follows a 7.1 per cent gain in 2020-2021.”

Canadian immigration officials also sometimes refuse study permits because the applicant has not included the necessary fees along with the application. 

In other cases, the applicant has failed to demonstrate that he or she is indeed a student or that he or she will return to his or her home country upon completion of their studies. 

Fraudulent documentation is also among the common reasons for Canadian immigration officials to refuse an application.

New Ontario Draw Sees Province Issue 206 NOIs Through French Speaking Skilled Worker Stream

Canada immigration news: Ontario immigration has issued Notifications of Interest to 206 candidates in its first draw of 2022 through the Express Entry-linked French Speaking Skilled Worker stream.

The February 8 Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program draw saw NOIs issued to candidates with Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores between 463 and 467.

To qualify for the draw, candidates had to submit Express Entry profiles between February 8, 2021 and February 8, 2022.

Candidates must have a minimum of Canadian Language Benchmark 7 in French and 6 in English to qualify.


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Ontario 2022 FSSW Draws

Date

NOIs Issued

CRS Score Range

Express Entry profile submission date

08-Feb-22

206

463-467

Feb 8, 2021 to Feb 8, 2022

Source: OINP


Video


What Are The Requirements For The Ontario Express Entry: French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream?

To qualify applicants must have:

  • Pending application under the Federal Express Entry system;
  • Minimum of 1-year of full-time, or full-time equivalent work experience under NOC occupation level 0, A or B;
  • Canadian equivalent Bachelors degree, Masters degree or PhD;
  • Minimum CLB level 7 in TEF exam (French); AND minimum CLB 6 in IELTS exam (English)
  • Intention to reside in the Province of Ontario.