Liberal visa rules attract Punjab students to Canada

Taking advantage of changes in immigration rules by the Canadian government, which allow students to work for two years in Canada after finishing their degrees, Windsor University of Canada has initiated efforts to attract students from Punjab.

"After changes in the immigration rules, we have received a tremendous response, especially from students from Punjab. Within three months as many as 35 students from the state, out of a total of 100 from all over the country, have gone to Canada for studies," Mel Broitman, director, International Outreach of University, told reporters here yesterday.

The help desks at Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Chandigarh, set up by Windsor University, Canada in collaboration with the B N Overseas Education Services, had received an overwhelming response from students from Punjab, he added.

Broitman, who was here to interview students, said with the relaxing of visa rules for students, it was expected that more than 300 students could get admission in Windsor University in a year.

"With the Canadian economy booming, the Canadian dollar rising, infrastructure projects busily moving ahead, there has never been a better time to obtain Canadian education and direct it at a future career in Canada," Broitman said.

"You see, to get admission in Windsor University, the fee is almost the same to what a student pays to get an education in India. But after the relaxed immigration rules, students will be allowed to work for two years in Canada and even apply for permanent immigration during that period only " Broitman said claiming that under the new rules a student could easily earn the money to pay his fee as they would be allowed to work also in their vacations.

Giving detail of the new rules, Broitman said, "International students who choose to stay in Canada after they graduate greatly contribute to our labour market. It is important that the students will be exposed to the Canadian work force at an early stage to increase their chances of success following graduation".

"We are certain that these initiatives will help increase the global competitiveness of Canada by attracting and retaining more international students to our schools" he said adding that Windsor university offers as many as 130 courses in the field of Engineering (Civil, Mechanical, Electrical and computer), Bio-technology, Business and computing and criteria for getting admission is that a student must have attained more than 60 per cent markets in Plus two and should have very good spoken English.

"Apart from students, the entry for parents and grandparents of immigrant students is also relaxed as per the new immigration rules and with these new measures in place, it is expected that in both 2006 and 2007, the number of parents and grandparents immigrating to Canada will increased by an additional 12,000 each year".

About the help desks, Broitman said students were being given free advice and if they fulfilled the necessary requirements for getting admission, they would be guided for filling the application forms.

Kamal K Bhumbla, director of B N Overseas said with the relaxation of student visa rules by Canada, the menace of illegal entry into Canada would be decreased and now the students would be able to go to foreign land through legal channel.

Since the Windsor University is situated in a city surrounded by industrial area, students would not have much difficulty to get part-time job to fund their studies, Bhumbla added.