Immigration.ca - Canada Immigration News - September 2009
New allegations suggest that South Korean students are taking advantage of Canada’s work-study programs to gain employment and earn their status in Canada.
The allegations are coming from visa official Martin Mundel, who worked out of the Canadian office in South Korea. Mundel says that students are coming to Canada through work-study language programs, but are not actually participating in the educational portion of the program. Instead, they merely hunt for jobs upon their arrival.
“The tuition fees paid in the private language schools effectively become the cost of purchasing a work permit, the value of which has recently increased given the prospect of obtaining work despite the global economic downturn and being able to apply for PR status on the basis of work experience,” said Mundel in one of his reports to the Canadian Government.
Mundel uses enrollment figures to support his allegations, showing a 30 percent increase in Korean student enrollment between 2007 and 2009.
Since the filing of Mundel’s reports last May, the Department of Citizenship and Immigration has responded, saying that they take such allegations “seriously” and are “looking closely at the issue with a view to taking action against abuse.”
Currently, South Korea is Canada’s largest source of students, with 13,944 arriving last year to study. They also inject an estimated one billion dollars into Canada’s economy each year.
Source: National Post
