October 23, 2017 – With Canada on a drive to attract more international students, annual studies such as the Maclean’s Top Comprehensive Universities are an excellent place to start for individuals intending to study in Canada.

Canada’s federal government considers international students as ideal candidates to become new permanent resident of Canada. They are young, know the languages, often have work experience and always have knowledge of what it is live to live here.

Ottawa has taken significant steps to attracting more international graduates to transition to permanent residence after completing their studies. They want to send a message that studying at Canadian universities is only the first step to a new and successful life in Canada.

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Livestream Video: How International Students Can Immigrate to Canada

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If you are considering coming to Canada to study, here are some of the universities you should consider.

The comprehensive university category includes schools that ‘conduct some graduate-level research and offer a wide range of undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs’, according to Maclean’s.

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Canada’s Top 5 Comprehensive Universities

1. Simon Fraser

• Where? British Columbia, 30 minutes from downtown Vancouver
• One of world’s leading teaching and research universities
• Three campuses with strong community ties
• Offers extensive co-op education

2. Victoria

• Where? Victoria, British Columbia
• Research strengths in climate change and ocean science
• Vikes varsity athletics program among best in Canada
• Best program: Earth and ocean sciences

3. Waterloo

• Where? Ontario, 90 minutes west of downtown Toronto
• World’s largest post-secondary co-op program
• Entrepreneurship program ‘Velocity’ is world’s largest free start-up incubator
• Home of Glow Centre, Canada’s oldest student LGBTQ organisation

4. Guelph

• Where? Ontario, an hour west of downtown Toronto
• Partnership with Humber means students have access to Toronto campus
• Veterinary medicine program has ranked fourth in the world
• Has attracted more than $144 million in research funding

5. Carleton

• Where? Ottawa, Canada’s capital city
• Home to the country’s oldest four-year journalism program
• State-of-the-art library geared towards 3D printing and gaming

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Canada’s Favourable Immigration Policies

Since coming to power in fall 2015, the federal Liberal government has attempted to make it easier for international students to gain permanent residence.

At the federal level, the government has introduced points under Canada Express Entry. In November 2016, Comprehensive Ranking System points were added for three-year post secondary, master’s, professional degrees and doctorates (30 CRS points) and post-secondary diplomas lasting one or two years (15 CRS points). No points are awarded for a Canadian high school education or below. This gives many graduates the extra push they need to achieve a coveted Invitation to Apply.

The federal government and relevant provinces also promote the Atlantic Immigration Pilot, which includes a category aimed at international graduates. It was introduced earlier in 2017 to try and reverse aging populations and shrinking labour markets in the Atlantic provinces of Nova Scotia, Newfoundland & Labrador, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.

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Rounding Out the Top 15 Comprehensive Universities

6= New Brunswick
6= Wilfrid Laurier
8= Memorial
8= York
10 Concordia
11 Ryerson
12 UQAM
13 Regina
14 Windsor
15 Brock

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In Quebec, the international graduate stream, which forms part of the Quebec Experience Program, is the only provincial program that offers permanent immigration to diploma and undergraduate degree holders, without a job offer.

The category imposes an advanced intermediate oral French requirement, but this stipulation is waived if half of the candidate’s studies are completed in Quebec and the qualification is recognized by the province. Candidates must either complete their studies in French or pass a French language test to transition to Canadian permanent residence.

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Read More

Livestream Video: How International Students Can Immigrate to Canada
Canada Offers International Graduates Attractive Pathway to Permanent Immigration
Canada Slashes Processing Time for Post-Graduation Work Permit Applications
Calling International Students: Here Are Canada’s Best Universities

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The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program runs a similar program without the need for a job offer, but it is aimed at Master’s and PhD graduates. The education requirement, therefore, is much more onerous, and the candidate must have English or French at Canadian Benchmark Level 7 or higher. The Ontario Master’s and PhD streams are open periodically throughout the year.

International students can already qualify to work in Canada after graduation by applying for a Post Graduate Work Permit. Here they can gain valuable Canadian work experience through a special work permit issued for the length of the study program, up to a maximum of three years. The work experience could then be used to qualify for permanent residence, through one of the above avenues.

Post Graduate Work Permit Requirements:

• Studied full time in Canada in a program of at least 8 months duration.
• Graduated from a public post-secondary institution, a private post-secondary institution, or a private institution authorized by provincial statute to confer degrees.
• Submit an application for a work permit within 90 days after receiving written confirmation of completing a study program.
• Received notification of eligibility to obtain a degree, diploma or certificate.
• Possess a valid Canada study visa or Canada study permit.

Citizenship Made Easier

Recent changes to Canadian citizenship requirements are also beneficial to international students, allowing them to count their time spent in Canada while studying towards a citizenship application. Study permit holders can count a half day for each full day spent in Canada towards a citizenship application, up to a maximum of a year.

At the same time the overall physical presence requirement was reduced from four years in six to three years in five, allowing international students to become Canadian citizenships just two years after graduation.