Canada and Alberta sign agreements to attract more skilled immigrants and foreign students
Calgary... The Honourable Denis Coderre, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Canada, and Dr. Lyle Oberg, Minister of Alberta Learning, are launching two joint initiatives to attract more foreign students to Alberta and are extending existing measures to draw more skilled immigrants to the province.
The Ministers have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that sets out the terms of an innovative pilot project to fast-track the processing of study permit applications from selected foreign students. They also agreed to allow foreign students, who graduate from post-secondary institutions in Alberta, to stay and work in the province for an extra year. In a third announcement, the Ministers agreed to expand the existing Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) that allows Alberta to attract targeted skilled immigrants, who could help the province meet its economic development needs.
"I am pleased with the collaborative approach that is being fostered between the Government of Canada and Alberta," said Minister Coderre. "Through these three initiatives, Alberta and the federal government will be working together to make Canada a destination of choice for talented foreign students and skilled immigrants."
"Alberta has always recognized the economic, social and cultural contribution that immigrants and international students make to Alberta," said Dr. Oberg. "As a province, we have had to look very seriously at how we hope to meet our labour force needs now and in the future. With the signing of these groundbreaking foreign student pilot projects and other initiatives, such as the extension of the Provincial Nominee agreement, Alberta is leading the way for a prosperous future."
Fast-tracking study permits
Alberta is the first province to sign an agreement with the Government of Canada to fast-track study permits for foreign students. The joint MOU sets out the terms for the priority processing of study permit applications submitted by foreign students destined for designated post-secondary learning institutions in Alberta. Visa officers at participating Canadian missions abroad will be able to process the applications in as few as 28 days, down from standard processing times of up to three months.
To be fast-tracked, applicants must be accepted, and have committed to studying, at a publicly funded Alberta post-secondary institution that is designated in the MOU. Students must also pass an approved medical examination. As with all foreign students, only candidates who pose no identifiable risk to Canada's security or public safety will be considered for permits.
The two-year pilot is expected to take effect on April 1, 2004. As it unfolds, federal and provincial officials will work with institutions to develop consistent and effective documents and procedures. The MOU also calls for an evaluation of the pilot, enhanced information exchanges among partners, and the application of best practices.
"This is an important initiative for international students as well as students here in Alberta," said Dr. David Marshall, President, Mount Royal College. "Streamlining the study permit process will increase access for foreign students and ensure that students here in Alberta have a more global perspective as they exchange ideas with their international peers throughout their studies."
The MOU was signed at Mount Royal College, which has approximately 3,500 international students enrolled in programs this year.
Extended work terms
In another measure to attract and retain foreign students, Ministers Coderre and Oberg also agreed to issue two-year work permits to foreign students who graduate from publicly funded Alberta post-secondary institutions. Under the agreement, foreign graduates from Alberta post-secondary institutions will be allowed to stay and work in their field of study for two years without the need for further government approvals. Currently, temporary work terms are restricted to one year.
This three-year pilot project will take effect on January 1, 2004. New Brunswick has a similar program in place.
Provincial Nominee Program
In addition to the foreign student initiatives, Ministers Coderre and Oberg committed to expanding Alberta's Provincial Nominee Program, which gives the province a more direct role in selecting immigrants who wish to settle in the province. The program, which has been operating as a two-year pilot since March 2002, will be extended for a third year. Moreover, the number of candidates who can be nominated for immigration will be doubled to 800.
The expansion of Alberta's PNP agreement will enable the province to nominate more candidates with the skills and experience Alberta needs. Under PNP agreements, provinces and territories may nominate immigrants who they believe would contribute to their economic and social development. Most Canadian provinces and territories have signed PNP agreements with the Government of Canada.
Backgrounder
Joint Canada-Alberta Initiatives to Attract Foreign Students
- Priority processing of international students accepted at designated Alberta educational institutions
- Extended work terms for graduates of Alberta post-secondary institutions
Overview
- The governments of Canada and Alberta have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) establishing a two-year pilot project for the priority processing of study permits for students to Alberta post-secondary institutions through Canadian missions abroad.
- The two governments also agreed, on a pilot basis, to double to two years the period during which foreign students, who have graduated from a publicly funded institution in Alberta, can stay in the province to work in their field of study.
- The measures are part of a comprehensive series of federal-provincial-territorial initiatives to attract and retain greater numbers of talented international students, who contribute to the economic, social and cultural life of Alberta and Canada.
Procedures
- Under the MOU between Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) and the Ministry of Alberta Learning, visa officers at Canadian missions in New Delhi and Beijing will issue study permits to successful applicants within 28 days.
- Fast-tracking procedures would apply to students who:
- have submitted a complete and straightforward application;
- have been accepted in an academic program at one of the publicly funded institutions that is party to the MOU through Alberta Learning;
- have committed to attending the institution to which they have been accepted;
- have passed an approved medical examination prior to applying for their study permit;
- pose no identifiable risk to Canadian security or public safety; and
- present an application that requires no significant investigations.
- The MOU also includes provisions for collecting, sharing and analysing data emerging from the pilot project.
- The terms of the MOU take effect on April 1, 2004, and will remain in effect for two years.
- Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, is also included in the pilot once processing capacity at the mission in Vietnam is realized.
Extended work terms
- The Canadian and Alberta governments also agreed to extend by a second year the period during which foreign students, who have graduated from a publicly funded institution in Alberta, can stay and work without the need for further government approvals.
- Currently, temporary work terms are restricted to one year.
- Students must work for employers in Alberta for both years of the work term.
- The agreement, implemented as a three-year pilot project, would take effect on January 1, 2004.
Destination of choice
- The joint Canada-Alberta initiatives are among a series of measures designed to make Canada, and Alberta specifically, a destination of choice for foreign students.
- Both governments recognize the importance of attracting more foreign students, who enrich campus life with their culture and perspectives. International students can also widen Canada's and Alberta's pool of skilled workers. Moreover, foreign students who have studied in Canada tend to return to their home countries with an enhanced understanding and appreciation of Canada and its people.
- In that context, CIC and its provincial partners are testing various ways to enhance the recruitment and retention of foreign students. Several pilot projects are being negotiated or are underway across Canada.
- The priority-processing pilot is intended to make Alberta more competitive in attracting foreign students. For example, it would enable the province to move more quickly to offer high-quality students acceptance at post-secondary institutions.
- The extended work terms are aimed at foreign graduates. By spending more time in the province, foreign students are more likely to develop ties to Alberta communities and the labour force. If they wish to apply for permanent resident status as skilled workers, an extra year of employment would give them additional points for experience when their applications are assessed. These graduates will also be able to submit their immigration applications and continue working while awaiting a decision.
- The measures adopted by Alberta also aim to draw international students to regions that, unlike Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver, do not attract sufficient numbers of educated newcomers. The 2001 Canadian census reveals that, of the 1.8 million immigrants and refugees who arrived in Canada during the 1990s, 73 per cent settled in and around these three large cities. Alberta receives six per cent of Canadian immigrants.
- In 2002, there were 105,852 international students approved for study in Canada at university, trade and other post-secondary levels of study. Of those, 6,954-or six per cent-were approved for study in Alberta.
Backgrounder
General
The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) allows the provinces and territories to select immigrants who have specific skills that will contribute to the local economy. The Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations have established a provincial nominee class, allowing provinces and territories that have agreements with CIC to nominate a certain number of foreign nationals for immigration to their respective regions.
Saskatchewan, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Yukon, Alberta, and Nova Scotia all have provincial nominee agreements. (Note that under the Canada-Quebec Accord, Quebec has exclusive selection responsibility for all independent immigrants and refugees abroad who are destined for Quebec.)
Nominees must meet federal admissibility requirements, such as those related to health and security. Specifically:
- Provincial nominee agreements provide a mechanism for provinces and territories to increase the economic benefits of immigration, taking into account local economic priorities and labour market conditions;
- Each agreement entitles the province or territory to nominate a certain number of immigration candidates over the course of the agreement. The number of nominees does not include the accompanying family members who immigrate to Canada with them;
- Provincial nominees brought in under these agreements become permanent residents of Canada;
- The Government of Canada will continue to enforce the statutory requirements related to the security and medical screening of the immigration applicants and retains the right to make the final selection.
Alberta PNP
- The Alberta Provincial Nominee Agreement was signed in March 2002 as a two-year pilot program. It allows Alberta to nominate 400 skilled candidates, who will meet the specific economic and industrial development needs of the province.
- Provincial nominees become landed immigrants, who have the skills to meet medium to long-term skill shortages in Alberta.
- Since the agreement came into effect, Alberta has nominated approximately 160 candidates.
- The governments of Canada and Alberta recognize the importance of evaluating the PNP to determine its net impacts and outcomes in the province of Alberta. Both governments agree to cooperate in evaluating the Alberta PNP during the third year of the pilot project.
- In 2002, Alberta received 14,729 immigrants, or 6.43 per cent of the total number of immigrants who came to Canada.
What's New in the Alberta PNP
Amending the Agreement will:
- extend its duration by one year. The agreement will now operate until March 2005;
- add an additional 400 nominations, allowing Alberta to nominate a total of 800 candidates over the course of the agreement;
- demonstrate Canada's and Alberta's mutual recognition of the importance of encouraging the development of minority official-language communities;
- enable Alberta nominees, who have a job offer, to be issued a temporary work permit without requiring further government approvals.
