Happy New Year

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

I want to thank every student in and out Canada for their honest and sincere emails in 2015.

I look forward reading more emails in 2016, especially those of you from Kenya. Krismasi Njema!!!

Merry Christmas

I like to say a Merry Christmas to everyone:

• applying for admissions/student visa
• preparing to resume classes and arrive Canada in 2016
• adjusting to the new weather, people, environment, etc. in Canada
• if this is your first Christmas away from family.
• if this is your first ever winter experience.

If you are lonely, make sure you browse your local city website for events happening around you. There is always something going on in this festive season. Get out and experience Canadian winter and do not forget to dress warm.

Merry Christmas to you and your family. 

Email question about my mistakes as a student

I recently updated the 'about me' section of this blog and got an email about previous mistakes I made as a student in Canada.

I did not really give any personal details but did manage to summarize a few points.

Prospective Student:

While I was going through your blog you mentioned that you made some mistakes if it's not a bother I would love to know about those mistakes.


My Reply:

Oh there were lots but I will summarize them.

First of all; make sure you study what you are passionate about. Do not go into Engineering, Medicine or Law because mummy and daddy have asked you to. If you do, you will be frustrated and when the program gets tough you will lose interest quickly.

Choose your friends carefully irrespective of background. If you want to see your future then take a good look at the friends you walk around with. Would your parents encourage their behavior? and do they challenge you to think beyond where you are?

Make Canadian friends and learn the culture real quick. Your Canadian friends grew up in Canada and will show you the ropes quick.

Consider your time an asset and do not waste it but always invest it. Write your goals and aspirations down. Tell yourself what you would like to become in the next few years.

Don't always go with what everyone does but follow your heart and make sure you pray to God for every single step you take.

Remember the main reason you are in Canada is to study. Once you begin having problems with your grades or with your school then your study permit could be in jeopardy.

Start applying to summer positions in your field from your 2nd year of study. Get some real Canadian experience.

Learn how to manage your money well and be accountable for every dollar you spend. It will surely help you in the future when you begin working. If you have an android phone download the 'expense manager' app.

Be very honest with yourself and know your boundaries. Don't be afraid to speak up anytime you find something does not sit right with you.

Don't let peer pressure from your friends redefine who you are. Be genuine and stand by your words.

Take your Spiritual life really seriously. Canada is great but without God you could be really lost.

Sorry this might not be the details you expected but I learnt quite a bit and most I could not fit in here.

Email question: two year college program in Canada

I have decided to start sharing a few emails I have received in the past to help others who might have the same question. This is only done with permission from the original sender. I hope it helps.

Prospective Student (first email)

"... am 25yrs old, my husband wants me to go to Canada to study and he just came back from a 1yr program in the united kingdom. We married last year before my husband travelled to the united kingdom and i was alone throughout his program and i can't go to Canada to study without him.


1) how much is my husband suppose to be earning  before he can sponsor me to study in Canada.
2) I want my husband and i to go to Canada together but he said that he can't afford couple expenses for the trip but he suggested that he can come to Canada with tourist visa and later he will change it to dependant visa inside Canada, is it possible.
3) with my age can i still apply to college because i have National Diploma in Accounting or i should go to university instead please i need your advise.
4) can my husband work full time in Canada because presently he is working with engineering company and his earn 300 ,000 Naira per month.
5) is it possible to go to Canada at the same time since he is going to Canada as a tourist and am going as a student, please remember what i said in question 2.
6) admission requirement?
7) I want to apply for September admission next year. when can i apply to the school? is it April or may? and how long does it take to get admission?
8) can i apply for student visa may or June and how long does it take to get student visa.
9) can i get student visa a month before my course start. "

My Reply (first):

I will attempt to answer your question to the best of my knowledge. Sorry for the late response. I only do this on my free time. Hope you understand.

1) Your husband will need to have enough money to last for the duration of your program. By that I mean Tuition and accommodation if possible. Not sure what the duration of your intended program is. That is just my opinion. According to the Canadian consulate there have to be a certain amount of money coming in every month aside from money saved. To do this, you will need to know how much your tuition is and what the program duration is as well.  Also let me know what city you intend to study in. Cost of living differs from city to city.
So question 1 is incomplete until i get further details. By the way, are you the only person your husband looks after? His income will have to be divided by the number of dependants.

2) Your husband is right. You can help him apply for a work permit during your study. Read more here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/study/work-spouse.asp

3) Don't worry so much about your age but focus on what you like to achieve with your Canadian education. Where do you see your self in the next 5 years? Whether you end up in a college or university, which of the institutions or programs do you think can help you achieve your career goal? I really don't like deciding anyone's future. Only God can. I can only help you think in the right direction.

4) Your husband can work based on the answer to question 2. What is his profession? an engineer? If he is an engineer there is a process before he could be certified by the engineering regulating body in Canada. That could take a long time. Courses are recommended for most people to be certified. That just means he might need to go back to school and in that time he needs to support himself. However he can do any other non-professional work to support himself. 300,000 Naira (~$ 2000 CAD) a month is a pretty good salary for Nigeria. Are you sure he would really like to leave his job?

5) Your question 2 answers this question. He can't afford the trip for both of you. It's best if he comes after you have settled a bit or its best to push the plan a little forward until when there is enough finances to go together. No need fuzzing if you don't feel like going. I know it is really uneasy going to a place you have never been to before. There are lots of challenges that comes with the first year and you know it requires the right support and courage. If you don't feel like going alone please don't embark on it. Tell him you can't go by yourself whether there are enough funds or not. Listen to your heart on this one.
He can be given a visitor's visa but the question is, for how long? You certainly don't want to be left alone. 

6) You need to start searching for the school that offers your program of choice. On their website you should be able to see all the admission requirement. I wrote about this a while ago:http://emakgaga.blogspot.ca/2015/06/how-to-apply-for-admission-first-timers.html

7) It's always in your best interest to give yourself one year from the admission process to visa and landing. That way you are not working under immense pressure. The best time to start working towards September next year is now. You should be looking at at least three schools by now via the web. When it comes to processing your application it really boils down to the school. Each school have different processing times depending on the volume of applications.

8) You apply for a student visa once you get your admission letter and other documents like transcripts and bank statement, etc. The admission letter is very important. Once you get your admission letter apply right away. Hence, make sure everything is in place so that the only thing you would be waiting for is admission letter from your school. So you probably see why it is best to start working with your school right away instead of waiting for the peak time which is summer months (May, June, July, August). Too many people apply for visa in this period and end up deferring their admission or arriving late due to late visa arrival from the consulate. Not even to talk about booking flights. Flights in August gets really expensive because a lot of students are traveling in this period. If you receive your visa on time you will save money on flights. Apply for admission early if you want to receive your visa early. There is no set time from my experience even though they list the processing times, it changes depending on the number of applications at hand. One thing that can delay your application is an incomplete application. Pay attention to all that is required before you send in your application. See the following links: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/study/index.asp , http://www.vfsglobal.ca/canada/nigeria/ , http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/delay.asp

9) Getting your visa a month before your program starts again depends on how early you applied. If you apply for a study visa a month before your program begins you will certainly not get it. Apply early once you get your admission letter.

** Please advise and thanks for numbering your questions. It made it easy to respond to.



Prospective Student (second email)

"...1) Assiniboine Community College, Brandon City, Manitoba, Canada.
       - 2 yr Program - Business Administration 
     Dependants - My husband and I

2) My husband suggested visitor visa and later he will change it to dependant or spouse visa inside Canada, is it possible?

3) with my age (25yr) can i still apply to Assiniboine Community College
Brandon City, Manitoba, Canada?

4) presently he is working with engineering company and his earn 300,000 Naira per month.
They offered him contract job and the contract is going to end next year December 2016.

5) is it possible to go to Canada at the same time since he is going to Canada as tourist and am going as student? The reason why i asked this question is that he was afraid the cost of couple expenses that why he came up with ideas of tourist visa, since he is going to get his visa before my own. My money is not a problem for the trip, accommodation and my tuition fees."

 My Reply (second):

1) Manitoba is an ideal place for international students because it provides that affordability and the same standard of education from other parts of the country. But it is a little windy than other part of the country. I went to school in Manitoba by the way. 

For a 2 year Business Admin  program (24 months) you are looking at the following for Assiniboine Community College:

Tuition + book supplies = $22,000 CAD ~ 3.3 million Naira.

Assuming an apartment is $ 500 per month or $ 800 per month

Rent = $ 500 to $ 800 × 24  = $ 12000 to $ 19200 ~ 1.8 million Naira to 2.9 million Naira

Brandon is fairly affordable so you could even see something cheaper. This is for a one bedroom apartment. If you were to rent a room in a house. It would be way cheaper.

Here is the link to accommodation in that area: http://m.kijiji.ca/1-bedroom-apartments-condos/brandon/f?categoryId=212&locationId=1700086

Food = $ 300 x 24 months =$ 7200 ~ 1 million naira

Transportation = $ 70 x 24 = $ 1680 ~ 260,000 naira - Assuming you buy a monthly bus-pass and it cost $ 70.

For some of these numbers see this link: http://assiniboine.net/admissions/international-students/costs

Those are the main ones. Every other expense depends on lifestyle.

A summation of the above is $ 42,880 - $ 50000 ~ 6 million Naira - 7.4 million Naira. That is for two years.

He needs to be sitting above 300,000  Naira monthly to afford your total expense. But if he has saved a lot of money already and can show that he has assets then he can still sponsor you. 

2) I think a tourist visa is still classified under a visitor's visa. He should be able to extend it within Canada I think. I have seen some people do it here. He just has to give a valid reason.

3) You are going in as a mature student. Your age shouldn't be a problem. Just explain to the embassy what you have been doing in the past few years after your diploma.

4) This falls within your first semester of study. It should be perfect for him to join you in Christmas.

5) I don't think this is an issue. As long as there's money to take care of both you. It should be fine. 

Let me know if it helps.

Its bed time for me so I may not respond on time.

Prospective Student (third email)

"I want to thank you for the information and the advise, please visit this website https://www.applyboard.com/
it will help other people that visit your blog "

 

No masters admission - low marks

Admission into a masters program in Canada is becoming ever competitive due to the strict requirement from Universities.

Since this have become the number one issue I get in emails weekly I have decided to drop a few lines about it.

If you have low marks you might want to consider:
   
 A post-graduate diploma program or a pre-master's program.

If one decides to take these programs the goal will be to bring the grades to an honorary level so the student can eventually gain admission into a masters program. A pre-masters program is offered by very few schools (see this link) and not every program offers it. To put things in perspective, you are most likely to find a post graduate diploma program that is willingly to accept you than a pre-masters program.
I think the idea of pre-masters is still very new and is also treated as a short undergraduate program where you can not transfer the credit to your masters program if you eventually make good grades.

These programs can easily run from 1-3 years depending on the school so get ready to spend some time.
Upon completion there are still no guarantees. There are still few spots and limited supervisors so make sure to strive for high marks if you can. Only the best students will be accepted into the masters program.
To avoid disappointment please apply to as many schools as you can and keep in mind that popular schools are competitive to get into.
See link to pre-masters program and post graduate diploma program.

To those of you who have been accepted into a master's program via any these programs please do not hesitate to share your experience here so others can learn. I know quite a number of people who are currently taking a post graduate diploma program or took it a while ago emailed me.

Canadian Express Entry System and International Students

In January 2015, Citizenship and Immigration Canada launched a new electronic system to better manage immigration applications. That electronic system is known as  Canada Express Entry System (EE system). Please note this is not an immigration program like - Federal Skilled Worker, Federal Skilled Trades, Canadian Experience Class, Provincial Nominee.

It is purely an information management tool. I like to think of it as a dating website or Facebook. Both require you to set up a profile except you are dealing with the government of Canada for immigration purposes. You simply enter all your information and if it matches the required ranking score then you are given an Invitation to Apply.

I won't go into a great detail of how the EE system works but I will touch on a few basics and then move on to describe how the EE system might impact current and future international students in Canada.
The current EE system gives the following advantages:

• Setup your EE profile any time
• No deadlines for setting up your profile
• No restrictions on the number of applicants accepted into the EE pool of candidates. 
• Permanent residence applications will be processed in 6 months or less. 

So how does this new system impact international students?

In the previous application process (before January 2015), all the applicant had to do was meet certain requirement and then proceed to apply whether through a federal application or a provincial nominee application.
However, in the new system, even though you meet all the requirement, you cannot just go ahead and apply. You will first be assigned a score based on the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). If your score is above or meets the minimum score required from the round of draws conducted monthly then you will receive an Invitation to Apply.

Yes! it is the waiting game no one likes especially if you are on a Post Graduate Work Permit (PGWP) that is expiring soon.
In the new system international students with a PGWP and 1 year Canadian experience, will need a PGWP backed by a Labour Market Impact Assesment (LMIA) to rank high in the CRS or obtain a provincial nominee certificate to rank high.

If you get a job that the employer is not willing to apply for LMIA on your behalf then you could have a hard time applying for permanent residence. That never used to be the case in the previous system.

As it sits now, a worker outside Canada with years of work experience and maybe a Canadian post graduate program stands a better chance of getting an Invitation to Apply than an International student with just B.Sc and 1 year experience within Canada. This new wave of competitiveness within the EE pool leaves a lot of PGWP holders with low scores.

So what is the way forward?

All international students should find a way to boost their score through the following: 

   - Consider taking or re-taking the language test - English and / or French. A combined English
      and French scores should add to your ranking. **Many applicants do not take the French
     Proficiency language test. If your English is already perfect, you can take a few French courses to      boost your score for Express Entry.

   - Complete a post-graduate program after your B.Sc, e.g diploma, masters, Ph.D, trades cert.,
      etc.

   - Use a combination of work- experience

      Although your coop/internship work experience does not count towards EE system make sure
      to use it later to find work in your field and obtain your 1 year Canadian experience. Your
      3 years PGWP does not give you enough time to look for work.
      For example, some people I know used the first year of their PGWP (due to no previous
      experience) for job search and then got a job in the second year. Between the 2nd year
      and 3rd year they have to gain a 1 year experience and then apply for Permanent Residence
      in the 3rd year. Having a previous work experience during your studies might just help
      get you a job in your first few months after your graduation.
      Besides, some coop / internship students do get hired full time after graduation
      so keep an eye for this. You essentially save time if you do this.

      A foreign experience is highly valued so make sure to indicate that you have it.
     Your Canadian and foreign work experience combined should fetch you good points.


   - Consider asking your employer to apply for an LMIA through ESDC if your PGWP
      is not backed by an LMIA. There have been stories of a high refusal rate for LMIA as
      of recent but I think it is worth applying regardless. While some employers may
      not consider you valuable enough to go for an LMIA, others may
      simply be reluctant because of the amount of information
      they have to give up to the government. It is tricky getting an LMIA yes!
      If this is your case then try the provincial nominee option. By the way an LMIA
      gets you an automatic 600 points.

   - Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP)
       While some Provinces have not officially kicked off their PNP (under EE)
       this remains the most viable option for people with low CRS scores.
       You stand a better chance with PNP than LMIA.
       LMIA essentially says that no available Canadian can do your job which
       is quite hard if you think about it. Out of 33 million-plus people, no one in
       the whole country is available? - hence an LMIA so you can fill the void?
       In PNP, the Province where you reside nominates you based on their criteria but
       CIC still makes the final decision. The requirement for PNP application is easier
       than that of an LMIA. A PNP nomination certificate also gets you an automatic 600 points.                  **Some Provinces award points for applicants with siblings already living in the Province. This              might be an opportunity to score some good points if you have a sibling living in the same
       Province.

See the ranking system here.

There are speculations that this is an election year so the immigration rules are more strict due to uncertainties in the Canadian economy.  Some people say this has been done to appease the voters and protect Canadian jobs while others say the government just want to appear tough on immigration issues. Whatever the case is, Express Entry has come to stay and it is the new way of handling immigration applications so make sure you are prepared if you intend to immigrate to Canada as an international student.

Click here to join a forum that discusses Express Entry issues on the canadavisa website. Although I must warn that there are lots of sentiments on the forum so be careful not to fall for the noise that is ever present.

As always email or leave a comment.

*** see current update from CiC below. http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/reports/ee-midyear-2015.asp

     

How to apply for admission - First timers information

This is a very generic information for people who intend to apply for university admission in Canada, especially those of you that just finished high school (secondary school). I have also included a bit of information for prospective masters students. Happy reading. Ask a question!

On www.google.com search for schools that offer your program of study in Canada. For example ‘Canadian Universities that offer Chemical Engineering programs’ Or ‘Canadian Universities that offer Masters in Chemical Engineering’. You should be able to get a bunch of leads similar to one below but different based on your program of choice.

You will get a list of schools like the first link above or a specific school in some cases like the last link shown above. The list is the best choice since it gives a list of all the schools that offer your specific program. That way you have the option of going through each school one at a time and evaluating them based on your specific need.

Note: some of the links to the schools might just lead you to the specific department’s web page i.e in this case the department of chemistry. You want to click on the heading that says prospective student or future students (or admissions). Take for instance the University of Brandon. After clicking on the link I was directed to the page below.

 

Clicking on the future students option directs me to a page that has a link to the application process.

 

At this point you should know if you are going for undergraduate or graduate studies program. The admission requirement for both programs are different and the same goes for the cost of tuition. If you are not a Canadian citizen or permanent resident then you are most likely considered an international student or a foreign student. You should always look for this term (international or foreign student) on the admissions web page.

I have highlighted the rest of the steps in blue on the pages below.

For undergraduate studies – see steps below

Application requirement, documents required as well as application deadlines are important. If you don’t have the required documents or miss the deadline your application maybe returned or deferred if you are lucky. Pay attention to what is needed so you don’t lose you application fees. I should also add that these processes are very time consuming. So make sure you pace yourself and give yourself at least a year for the application process so you are not working under immense pressure.

Under the ‘admissions requirements and required documents’ link they listed high school (secondary school) requirement by country. I have highlighted Nigeria for example below and yes NECO is fully accepted by Brandon University.

However, you cannot combine both WAEC AND NECO.

Most schools will list only WAEC.

 

Nigeria is exempted from English language requirement. See list here

Some schools have the “apply online” link or “download application form” link. Apply online means filling out all your detailed information online and submitting it at the end with an application fee paid. The download application option lets you download a form and fill up electronically or print and fill by hand to be sent in later with your mailed documents. You can pay the application fees through a credit card if you have one or go to your local bank in your country and they should help you with the processing for a small service fee.

Under the ‘international students guide’ link you should see an address at the bottom where you can MAIL-IN your documents. Apply to two or more schools to boost your chances of admission.

Graduate studies – see steps below.

One thing I have noticed about graduate admission is that there are no real specifics (depends on school). But one thing that is needed for admission is high marks. For candidates from Nigeria, Canadian universities require a second class upper (2, 1) for admission (or 3.5/4). If you don’t have the high grades you might want to look into University of Manitoba’s pre-masters program or at least a post graduate diploma to bring your grades to an honor’s level.

The University of Manitoba for example selects graduate candidates based on:

-         -The candidate’s previous academic performance and assessment of referees.

-          -Availability of program and facilities that is available for the candidate

-          -Availability of supervisors, etc.

See full requirements here

I have listed a few things you should know before you apply:

-          Ask yourself which school best meets your needs in terms of program, professors and research interest.

-          Write to the department or a professor in your department if possible for more information and perhaps also use that opportunity to tell him about yourself too.

-          Keep track of application deadlines for your area of study.

-          Get information on funding opportunities available to graduate students in your school of choice. **This is optional.

-          Do you need any graduate exams? (GRE, MCAT, GMAT). The school will let you know.

-          You will need letters from your mentors, professors and referees. They could be academic or industry so make sure you keep in touch.

-          Do you have any industry or research experience in your area of study? You will need to highlight in your letters to the school or department. Attach a resume (CV) if possible.

-          You can’t just depend on your grades alone for admission especially for a very competitive year. You will have to demonstrate your passion for your program through your previous work (academic or industry). Tell them why you are the most worthy candidate and how you plan to succeed if given the opportunity.

It is always good to apply to two or more schools to avoid disappointment. Too many prospective graduate applicants get refused admission every year and this is a well-known issue. It could be that they don’t meet the minimum requirement but it could also be the case of a very competitive year as highlighted above. You may have the grades, the work and research experience to match your program but someone else went the extra mile and got accepted. In cases like that, working with two more schools could save you the grief.

So download the forms and fill it in by hand or online. Pay your application fees and MAIL-IN your documents as requested by the department or admissions. The admissions office address is usually posted on their website.

Note this is just a generic procedure. More specific details can be found on your school’s website. Please approach with caution. 

Briefly on applying for student visas

Start by following the link http://www.vfsglobal.ca/Canada/ 

You will need;

 Letter of admission from your school, Proof of Identity, Proof of funds – tuition, living expenses and return airfare. I have heard people say you need about year’s proof of funds but I think the more you have the better it goes to show that you are financially strong. 

You will also need police clearance, medical examination, temporary residence visa (TRV) etc. Those are the basics. 

You could be asked for more depending on your circumstance and your claims.

Take for instance the instructions given for Nigerian applicants on this link http://www.vfsglobal.ca/Canada/Nigeria/application_process.html. 

If you follow it properly you will have no issues with a obtaining a student visa.

You can download your study permit guide here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/guides/5269ETOC.asp

You can choose to fill the forms online or on paper (note: online is faster).

Also keep track on how other applicants are doing on this forum

Keep track of your study visa application processing time here

Other tips:

Make sure you show proof of home-ties i.e. you are definitely coming back home after your studies and have no intentions of staying behind.

Spend the first year in the school’s residence if possible. It just makes it easier to indicate in your application that you have already paid for a place to stay. Some people have experienced difficulties in the past obtaining a visa with off campus accommodation in the first year. In some cases the Landlord did not provide a proof of payment on time or in a professional manner or it was just hard to verify that the student have indeed gotten a place to stay. I would say they trust the school’s residence more because everything will be reflected in the school’s receipt.

Show proof of first year’s tuition fully paid.

If you are getting sponsorship from anyone other than the government, your parents or an organization make sure you show proof that they have supported you in the past and plan to do so during your study in Canada.

If you previously obtained a diploma, bachelors, masters or PhD.D. certificate and intend to go for a second diploma, bachelors, masters or PhD program in Canada please make sure you have strong reasons for it. I have received at least two emails from two people (Belgium and U.K) who got refused after previously concluding a master’s program and intended to do a second master’s program in Canada. One candidate applied from Nigeria while the other applied from Belgium. It was quite bizarre to me.

Acknowledging that you have an uncle or aunty in Canada does not necessarily get you a visa any quicker.

Let your sponsorship come from your home country if possible. Getting funding from Canada might not be a good idea especially if you plan to show that as proof to your visa officer.

Provide only what is required. Do not provide any extra details especially if it won’t help your case.

Get all your information from http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/nigeria/visa.aspx?menu_id=2&lang=eng or http://www.vfsglobal.ca/Canada/ and avoid rumors at all cost. Depending on unverified sources for information might cost you time and money.

Be as honest as possible in your application and maintain a certain level of consistency. If you are going for studies let the paper proof you have provided have the evidence of someone going for study and not full time work.

That’s all I can recall to the best of my knowledge.

Remember your suggestion via email prompts me to post a topic, so email me any time. Cheers.