7 reasons why you should choose Canada

Canada has slowly but consistently grown in stature as a preferred destination for higher education in the last 8-9 years. It is now one of the most sought-after countries for higher education by Indian students. High-quality education topped with internship opportunities, in addition to liberal government policies related to post-study work and immigration, creates a perfect combination for Indian students. Add low cost of living and it doesn’t get any better than that!

10 years ago, an education abroad was usually associated with students from financially affluent families. More than education, it was status symbol for many. Canada has completely changed that as it offers the best of both worlds. For students who want to get into the best of the best universities, they have institutions like University of Toronto, University of Alberta, University of British Columbia, and a number of other universities. For students who are looking for programs, which are not very expensive and of shorter duration, so that they save on their living expenses as well, Canada has the best system of community colleges in the world.

Although the benefits of studying in Canada are innumerable but for the understanding of students, I’ll try and narrow that down to the following pointers:

1. Academic Excellence

Since education is a provincial responsibility, the provincial governments ensure that the quality of education is consistently very high throughout Canada irrespective of the type of institution – university or college. If you want to gain a bachelor’s degree or a master’s degree, choose from a wide range of universities as per your eligibility. If you are looking for shorter and relevant route to gain skills to become employable, choose from a number of specialised diplomas, advanced diplomas and post-graduate diplomas at Canadian colleges.

As far as education streams are concerned, all sorts of programs from various streams are available in Canadian Colleges and Universities. Be it engineering, IT, healthcare, agriculture, sports, management, accounting, economics, mining, petroleum, renewable energies or any other stream, you can be certain to
find a relevant program in Canada.

2. Focus on skill development

We all agree that world class education is not just about what we learn in classrooms. It is also about how prepared we are for the real world. Canada has a fantastic system called co-operative work, to address just that. Co-op basically provides work opportunities to students in their relevant sectors, while they are studying. So, an engineering student gets an opportunity to work for an engineering company during their study. This prepares the students for the real world by introducing them early to the work environment and also inculcates discipline. A typical co-op is for about 4 months in a year. So, if a student is enrolled in a 4 year degree program which offers co-op, they can gain valuable Canadian work experience of 16 months during their studies. Imagine the competitive advantage these students have over others when they start looking for permanent jobs after graduation!

Co-op is an integral part of a lot of programs in most universities and colleges.

3. Earn while you learn

In addition to co-op, students are allowed to work part time for about 20 hours per week on campus or outside. They can also apply for up to 3 years of post-study work permit depending on the program duration. For details, please refer to IRCC’s website.

4. It’s affordable

Tuition fee in Canada, when compared to universities in other popular study destinations, is fairly cheaper. And when considering the return on investment, keeping in mind the wonderful work opportunities: both part time and full time, it is quite a viable option for Indian students. Qualified students can also apply to a range of Canadian scholarships to cut down on educational expenses.

5. Quality of life – Safe and peaceful

Canada has been consistently ranked as one of the safest nations in the world. In 2018, the Global Peace Index, listed Canada as the sixth peaceful country across the globe. As international student, you’ll enjoy the same rights as any other Canadian. Quality of life also translates in to basic necessities of life like clean air, clean water, and lower population/competition, sense of space etc. to other aspects of life like access to world class healthcare, good education infrastructure etc.

6. Cultural diversity

Canada as a society is very warm and welcoming. People from different countries have been migrating to Canada for a long time. This gives Canada an edge in terms of cultural diversity. Canada and Canadians embrace that diversity and recognize that as their strength. Throughout the year, students can experience festivals of all ethnic groups and the wonderful part is that the celebrations are not limited to the ethnic group but the entire country celebrates all festivals! From Christmas to Diwali and from Chinese New Year to Holi, you name it!

7. Immigration opportunities

Because international students spend a long time in Canada, in my opinion they are the perfect fit to become future Canadians. They get ample time to understand and embrace the Canadian culture while they study and also get up to three years to understand the work culture in Canada and what it takes to be successful after completion of their studies. Post that, if they wish to live in Canada permanently, IRCC offer them a platform to do so. Please find more details on www.canada.ca.

As per the public data shared by IRCC, in 2018 Canada approved entry to about 356,875 students from around the world. About 107,505 students out of those were from India, which is about 30% more than 2017. This re-emphasises the fact, that Indian students are choosing Canada for their higher education and the interest in Canada is increasing substantially every year.

For any student, considering to study abroad, the best time to choose Canada is NOW!

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