Studying is a huge experience by itself, enriching the minds and broadening the horizons with your chosen subjects and that comes along with higher education. Doing that in a different country is huge and life changing.
From the countries in which you can study, one of the best education opportunities are in Canada because of world-class higher education that is being offered and its 12 universities ranked in Times Higher Education Supplement Top 200. Studying in Canada can be very beneficial because of affordable tuition fee, opportunity to work while studying and for a year after completing study and a great lifestyle in a beautiful and diverse country.
In order to go for studies in Canada you will need a “Canadian Study Permit”, which serves as a Study Visa for the duration of your stay. Once you have Canadian study permit, you can apply to renew it from within Canada if you want to continue your further studies. One of the most important aspects of choosing your study abroad destination is cost. Studying in Canada offers great value for money in terms of tuition fees and living costs.
Estimated living expenses per month are around CAN$400-800, but obviously you can live on less or more than that, depending on the way you choose to spend your time. As far as course fees are concerned, expect to budget around CAN$6000 to CAN$17,500 per year for undergraduate courses, with graduate courses coming in on average from CAN$6500 to CAN$33,000 per year. It vary from course to course because medicine and engineering study may costs more.
It all depends on what you choose to study, but your course duration will generally be 3-4 years for undergraduate courses, and then 1+ years for postgraduate courses. You need to apply at the very start in March for the September opening, but if your course is super popular, the earlier the better is always advisable. There is also a second opening in January or February of each year.
Having a part time job while studying in Canada is a great way to gain experience as well as some extra money. You are able to work part time, on or off campus while you are a full time student.
Most institutes will have an International Student Office on campus. These offices are there to help international students and answer their queries they have about the school, their program or life in a new country. They can also try to help students find work.
One can look around campus to see if there are any posters for jobs that they could apply to. Once you have your resume ready, you could walk around the town and give it to the businesses and see if they need any new employees.
As for the difficulty for finding a job, that can very. Being a student many business are looking for part time workers. So it shouldn’t be that hard to find a job.
The Off-Campus Work Permit Program authorizes you to work up to 20 hours per week during regular academic sessions, and full time during scheduled breaks (for example, winter and summer holidays, and spring break).
Also there is a Co-op/Internship Work Permit Program that is available to international students whose intended employment is an essential part of their program of study in Canada as certified by their Canadian academic institution. The work portion of this program can form up to 50 percent of the program of study.
Scholarships are one way that international students can help finance their studies in Canada. Scholarships are non-repayable financial awards. They are generally allocated to students with outstanding academic achievements, although some also recognize volunteer and work experience.
Top 10 best universities of Canada for international students are:
- University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario (World-wide ranked as 20)
- McGill University, Montreal, Quebec (World-wide ranked as 21)
- University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia (World-wide ranked as 43)
- University de Montreal, Montreal, Quebec (World-wide ranked as 83)
- University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta (World-wide ranked as 84)
- McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario (World-wide ranked as 113)
- University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario (World-wide ranked as 169)
- University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta (World-wide ranked as 171)
- Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario (World-wide ranked as 187)
- Western University, London, Ontario (World-wide ranked as 191)
