The students will be allowed to work off campus
and to transfer to different programs or institutions without having to change their study permits. They will also be able to work in Canada for two years after graduation instead of the current one year, provided that they do not take a job in Montreal, Toronto, or Vancouver. (Those cities absorb a disproportionate share of Canada's immigrants, whom the government is trying to encourage to settle elsewhere.)The new policies will also make it easier for co-op programs, which blend work and
academic experience, to attract international students. The changes do not require any legislative action, but some provinces have yet to sign agreements with the federal government for the provisions relating to job programs.
The immigration minister, Joe Volpe, said he believed the changes would make Canada more attractive to international students, noting that both students and higher-education officials had endorsed the new policies.
"We have been listening to our stakeholders," he said in announcing the changes. It is important, he said, that international students "be exposed to the Canadian work force at an early stage to increase their chances of success following graduation."
About 50,000 international students studied in Canada in 2003, the year for which the latest data are available. Immigration authorities believe that the policy changes could increase that number, possibly by 20,000. The government plans to spend $8-million (U.S.) a year for the next five years to help with the new programs and processing. It also hopes that international students will think seriously about becoming permanent residents of Canada
if they have a chance to work in a smaller city or town.Statistics from late last year show that most international students in Canada come from South Korea. China sends the next-largest number, followed by Japan, the United States, and France.
Кстати, есть наши в Nova Scotia / New Brunswick ?