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Study in Canada


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Why Study in Canada?

As a western country, Canada is one of the most welcoming ones for international students. As of 2017, there were more than 4,90,000 international students in Canada (average percentage of Indians opting for Canada increased by 58%) many of them from China, South Korea and France. It is one of the world’s most educated countries with over 50% of their population having university degrees from some of the most popular universities in Canada. The visa process is much easier than the US and the tuition fee of Canadian universities is lower than US, UK and Australia. It may not have the Harvard and Cambridge of the world but you need to see if you were eligible for the same anyway.Some of the most popular courses in Canada pursued by students are Computer Science & IT, Business & Finance and MBA. Also, known for its jaw-dropping scenery and recognized as the most liveable city in the world, Toronto and Vancouver are students most preferred states in to reside in Canada. Universities have 3 intakes namely: 

  • Summer 
  • Spring
  • Fall 

Students mostly opt for Fall intake, followed by Spring. Summer intakes are only offered by select universities.


Education System in Canada

Post-secondary education in Canada varies from between provinces and territories. However, very broadly education institutions in Canada can be divided into two types:


  1. Universities and University Colleges (Degree-granting):

    These are the degree-granting institutions. Bachelor's degree (3 or 4 years), Master's degree (usually 2 years) or PhD (4 to 7 years)


  2. Colleges, Career Training Institutes, Vocational Schools (Non-degree-granting):

    Non-degree-granting institutions focus on diploma and certificate programs as below

    • Certificate programs (1 year)
    • Diploma programs (1-2 years)
    • Advanced Diploma (2-3 years)
    • Post-graduate Diplomas/Certificates (1-2 years)

    Canadian universities and colleges take admission in two or three intakes:

    • September / Fall Session (primary intake)
    • January / Winter Session intake
    • Summer / Summer Session (applicable for selected institutes)

    Admission deadlines (in most cases) for the September intake are:

    • 15th of January (for undergraduate programs)
    • 1st of March (for graduate programs)

It is important to know that the exact deadlines may vary from course to course.


How to choose a course and university in Canada:

You need to filter from a list of Top Canadian Universities depending on various factors like your choice of subject, what the university or college is known for, scholarship availability, and your chances of getting in. You may also consider the weather as an aspect. If cost is a factor, you may also check which cities are the most expensive. Vancouver is known to be the most expensive Canadian city.


What to check:

Most Canadian universities are public institutions. Even the private ones have to be setup under provincial accreditation. It is advised that students check on the Canadian government website if the university is registered. Universities may offer courses in either French or English or both. It is better to confirm beforehand.


Make no mistakes:

The universities are high on research. Sources and citations within research papers are very important in Canadian universities and plagiarism doesn’t go well with them.


Cost of Studying in Canada

Canadian education is relatively affordable compared to many countries. Average masters fees in Canada can be anywhere between CAD 20,000 to CAD 30,000 per year to cover tuition and living expenses but will vary according to your course, college or university, your location in Canada and your lifestyle. Read more about cost of studying in Canada


Life in Canada, Health and Safety

For immigration reasons, Canada seems to be more open in welcoming people from all across the world. Choosing a location where you may have relatives makes it easier initially. The time difference from India is almost 9.5 hours. The weather is on the colder side where winters can be grueling with -30 degree celsius at some places. In Summers, the weather is pleasant at under 30 degree celsius.


The student work laws are more lenient; you can work both on-campus and off-campus. The minimum work wage is CAD $10.25 per hour. After tax, you may earn about CAD $200 per week and CAD $800 per month. Average salary in Canada for full-time work is about CAD $50,000 per year. One needs a minimum of CAD $800 per month to survive in Canada; while bigger cities and expensive locations may require more.


International students need to have a health cover in Canada providing 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week medical assistance. Health insurance laws, however, are divided according to what provinces (states or geographical areas) and a broad range of cost could be from CAD $275 to CAD $500. The cheapest available insurance designed specifically for international students is at Alberta (CAD $68) and British Columbia (CAD $36). Universities take mental health seriously.


Popular Cities and Courses

MS in Engineering and MBA are the two most popular courses that international students take up in the top universities in Canada for masters. Within MBA, students prefer to do masters in Marketing, Finance and HR.


Popular cities to study in Canada are:

  • Montreal
  • Toronto (known to be safest for women)
  • Vancouver
  • Ottawa
  • Quebec.

Popular universities in Canada for masters (especially for international students):

  • The University of British Columbia, Vancouver
  • The University of Waterloo, Ontario
  • The McGill University, Montreal
  • The University of Toronto, Ontario
  • The University of Alberta, Edmonton

Popular courses to study in Canada:

  • Masters of Business Administration (MBA) in Canada
  • Masters in Marketing in Canada
  • MS in Canada (Engineering)
  • Masters in Finance in Canada
  • Masters in Pharmacy in Canada

Job prospects in Canada

As an international student in Canada, once you have completed the first six months of your masters, you can get a permit to work part-time, off-campus for up to 20 hours a week. During semester breaks, you are allowed to work full-time. However, if you are in an intensive course, the university will recommend you to not work more than 12 hours a week.

If your course includes internship or co-op options, you may need to apply for a work permit if it isn’t clearly stated in your admissions letter that a co-op is included. You can apply for a work permit online or fill a paper form. The government of canada has an excellent informational website where you can refer to all of their policies.

Here are some answered FAQs:

How much can you earn while working?

The student work laws are more lenient- you can work both- on campus and off campus. The minimum work wage is CAD $10.25 per hour. After tax, you may earn about CAD $200 per week and CAD $800 per month.

 

What kind of jobs can you do?

It may not be easy to get hold of your first job. Students use Indeed.com and various other local websites to find jobs but most of the times, it requires in-person visits and taking follow-ups politely. There are various options depending on what suits you and what you get hold of:

  1. At a cafe, restaurant, back office, store, malls, supermarkets, gas stations, etc.
  2. Social Media Jobs: Companies pay students to create and manage their social media profiles. If you know how to have the skills to do digital marketing, you can get paid a lot of money here.
  3. Freelance Jobs: If you have a skill, you can share it on Youtube or make a course online
  4. Tutoring: You need to pre-apply for this. If there is a research opportunity, you can work with a professor as their assistant.

 

Do I need to register anywhere?

On-Campus: Full-time Canadian university students, do not need a work permit to work on campus.

Off-Campus: For undergraduate students, they can work off-campus if the university agrees to an official co-op program. Otherwise, they cannot work off-campus. For post-graduate students, they need to register for a work permit.

 

For how long is my visa valid after graduation?

Students who have studied for at least eight months in Canada, can apply for a post-graduate work permit(PGWP). You need to apply within the 180 days of the confirmation of the completion of your academic program. The main advantage of this permit is that it doesn’t require for a specific employer. You can work anywhere without any extra verification.

On February 14th, 2019, it was announced that students will have 180 days to apply for the PGWP, double the number of days as compared to the earlier 90 days. Also, it is not necessary to have a valid study permit for all the 180 days. The study permit need not be valid while applying for the PGWP as well. It should be valid at some point during the 180 days. Also, you can now apply for the PGWP from your home country.


Canada Application Process

Most countries have dissimilar admission processes and while Universities may have different cycles/calendar dates, the admission process within a country will be more of less similar. The Canadian admission process is different from other countries in a few ways which I explain in detail here. Most of the questions that the students pose will be addressed in this section.

Types of Admits

Generally, there are three types of admits the universities offer:

  1. Thesis Admission
  2. Non-Thesis (Coursework) – with/without Co-Op
  3. Non-Thesis (Project-based)

The number of courses you must opt for differs from one university to another. I would recommend visiting the university’s websites than asking the seniors out here.

Begin here!

1.1. Start by listing down what universities you want to apply to

Filter down the universities as per your expectations in terms of specific subjects/courses you want to take up. The top Canadian Universities in your list should be around 7-8.


1.2. Visit the respective department websites

This is the best source of info available to you. They are up-to-date and carry a lot of important information. The following are some of the details to look out for in the department websites:

? Admission Requirements / Entry Criteria

? Important Dates

  • Application Deadline
  • Scholarship Deadline

? Faculty /People Page

  • Research labs / Research interest of the Professors
  • Publications list of the Professors (Use Google Scholar for recently published papers)
  • Call for prospective students - Announcement of vacant positions in the respective labs

? Course Structure

  • Mandatory (core) courses
  • Elective courses
     

1.3. Contacting Professors through e-mail (if need be)

Typically, it would be the Thesis students who will be insisted on contacting the Professors. You must spend a lot of time in this section.

NEVER FORWARD A GENERIC TEMPLATE TO HUNDREDS OF PROFESSORS!

Select 6 to 8 Professors from different universities working on an area where you are most interested in. Carefully study the most recent and active projects that the Professors are working on. Check if the Professors have an active grant and are willing to hire new grad students. Without a call for prospective students enlisted in the website, it is recommended not to e-mail a Professor.

Reading research papers is an art. You must know what information to look out for and where to find it. Try to find few tutorials online on how to prepare a research summary by listing down the strong and weak/improvement points of a research paper. Sending this will increase your chances and will give some assurance to the Professors that you are interested and willing to commit yourself to take up the stage. If the Professor doesn’t get back to you, wait for a couple of weeks and then send him/her a gentle reminder! A word of caution, “Do not spam their mailbox!”
 

1.4. Prepare the documents simultaneously (SoP, CV and LoRs)

It is quite understandable that this is one of the boring sections of the entire application process. However, this is one of the most important of them as well. A good SoP can fetch you

dream admits and a bad one can force rejections upon you despite having a decent profile. Write a rough draft and make revisions.

  • Try to get inputs from a lot of seniors / friends and fine tune them to get the best version of it. Do customize it from one university to another.
  • Do not have one generic SoP to be sent to universities.
  • SoPs must not be explaining your CVs. They must be focusing on stuffs that cannot be captured in CVs. More like the characteristics/traits you possess with some real-time examples justifying your claims.
  • Stick to the number of words that are expected by the admission committee. Typically, an SoP is 700 to 800 words long.
     

1.5. Apply well ahead of the deadline

Generally, the application period ranges from mid-October to late-January. If you are planning on securing an admission, you will have to apply as early as possible. The Professors will be on a Winter break from the last week of December to the first week of January.

Few universities evaluate applications as and when they arrive and throw in rolling-admits. Few universities wait for the deadline to get over & then start evaluating the applications. Each application is handled on a case-by-case basis.

The recommendation to apply early is to ensure that if you have missed some document, they are going to reach out to you and you can submit that on time as well. If you apply late & miss out an important document, your application will be treated as ‘incomplete’ and you are welcoming a reject!


Steps to apply for Canada Student Visa

According to Canadian Bureau of International Education, in 2017, there were 4,94,525 international students in Canada with an 11% rise every year. Out of these, top sending countries were China (28%) and India (25%).

The Canadian government has a website for Immigrations and Visa which is easy to use and one must go through each and every detail mentioned on it. One needs to apply for a study permit, which expires 90 days after your course is completed. The Canada Student Visa application costs CAD 150.

Here are steps for visa application to study in Canada:

STEP 1: Apply to University:
The first step in the Canadian Student Visa process is to apply to a university. Most students apply to at least 2 or 3 universities hoping to get various offers out of which they can choose from. 

STEP 2: Appear for IELTS:
It is imperative that you appear for IELTS (score 6 to 6.5) for your Canadian student visa. No other test is valid for the visa application.

STEP 3: Get University Admits: 
When you get an admit from your desired university, pay the initial tuition fee as mentioned in the offer letter. Paying that amount may confirm your admission to the university. However, some universities give unconditional offers too. 

STEP 4: Receipt of Payment:
The university will provide you with a receipt that you need for your Visa application in Canada. While filling the visa form, you will have to show the proof of fees paid.

STEP 5: Purchase of GIC:
Students must buy a Guaranteed Investment Certificate (GIC) from a participating bank like ICICI Bank, SBI Canada Bank, CIBC Bank of the amount of CAD 10200. This certificate is a guarantee that you can survive in Canada for the first year. Out of this, the bank charges are CAD 200. At the time of arrival in Canada, the student receives CAD 2000. Rest of the amount is paid in 12 monthly installments to the student to help pay for living expenses in Canada. 

STEP 6: Proof of funds:
At present, it is deemed to show CAD $10,000 for every year of your stay in Canada. If you are planning to study in Quebec, it may be CAD $11000. This is on the top of your tuition fees mentioned by the respective university. You can show bank statements, bank draft, or a letter from a person or institution providing you with the money.

STEP 7: Apply for Visa: 
Answer a few questions about yourself on the Canadian visa application. You can either submit application through CIC website or submit a paper application through the Canadian Embassy in your country. However, it is important to check the time the paper application can take well in advance.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Check provincial guidelines:
If you are applying to Quebec, then the guidelines maybe different from the other parts of Canada. Check the province in which your university falls.

General documents required for Study Permit (Canadian Student Visa):

  • Passport 
  • Passport-size photographs 
  • Unconditional letter of acceptance 
  • Fees receipt (recommended) 
  • Scholarship letter (if applicable) 
  • Any relevant correspondence with the institution 
  • Financial documents 
  • Academic documents 
  • Test scores 
  • Work experience certificates (if applicable) 
  • Medical report (if already undertaken)

CAQ and Study Permits

In order to study in Canada, the international students, depending on their duration of study have to obtain permission to study from the governments of Quebec and Canada by applying to certificate of acceptance.

The Certificate of Acceptance for your Canada Studies - CAQ & Study Permits.

Québec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ)

  1. Complete the online application and pay the prescribed fees using Yocket Forex Card or an International Credit Card.

  2. Enclose the required documents applicable to the country or the territory in whichyou are currently residing or staying - typically includes -
    • recent ID photo, passport format (35 mm x 45 mm)
    • payment of feesto examine your application
    • legible photocopy of the identity pages of your passport containing your personal information, photo and the passport expiry date
    • letter of admission from the registrar (or admissions office) of the educational institution you will attend

Once your application has been accepted, a copy of your CAQ for studies will be mailed to you and a conditional agreement will be dispatched to the Canadian visa office indicated in your application form. This office will validate your financial capacity to continue your studies in Québec.

Send your complete file to theService aux étudiants étrangersin Montréal by placing an online pickup request on Yocket

Quebec Foreign Student Service for CAQ
285, Notre-Dame Street West,
4th floor, Montreal, CANADA
Montreal - H2Y1T8

If you meet the prerequisites, a Québec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ) for studies will be issued in your name. The CAQ is generally valid for the duration of your study program up to amaximum of 49months.

Study Permit

The Study Permit is issued by Citizenship and Immigration Canada - Apply for your Study Permit

That takes care of the necessary permits needed. As a community, we're trying to get more Canadian Aspirants on Yocket and we are grateful for you to trust in Yocket. Would be great for Juniors if you could get more of your Canada aspirant friends to make a profile on Yocket and share with the community all their admits & rejects to help the juniors plan better.

Good Luck for a bright future.


Read the below articles to know more about studying in the Canada


FAQs

  1. What is the process to study masters in Canada? To apply for a study permit, you need to get a letter of acceptance from a Designated Learning Institution (DLI) in Canada. Every institution has its own DLI number which is to be submitted in the study permit application form. The list of the DLIs are found on the Study in Canada page of the Canadian Government Website. More information on Study Permits can be found here.
  2. How many hours can someone work on student visa in Canada? Students can work up to 20 hours per week during the semester period and full-time during the breaks. There are lots of things to consider when working in Canada. The rules and regulations can be found here.
  3. How much proof of funds do I need to show while applying for study visa in Canada? A single student (without spouse) needs to show Tuition plus $10,000 for a 12-month period (or $833 per month). In Quebec, this amount may vary according to the student’s age. More information on Canada Masters cost can be found here.
  4. Which English language test should I give for Canada study: TOEFL or IELTS? Canadian Universities accept IELTS as a proof of proficiency in English language. Still, it is good to verify in the ‘eligibility criteria’ within your shortlisted university.

Watch the below videos to know about MS in the Canada

 

 


Top Universities in Canada SEE ALL

U Toronto Logo
University of Toronto

School of Engineering
Tuition Fee: C$44,000
Intake: NA
Acceptance: NA

School of MBA/Management
Tuition Fee: C$28,000
Intake: NA
Acceptance: NA

School of Medicine
Tuition Fee: C$29,800
Intake: NA
Acceptance: NA

School of Sciences
Tuition Fee: C$36,600
Intake: NA
Acceptance: NA

School of Arts
Tuition Fee: C$36,600
Intake: NA
Acceptance: NA

School of Architecture
Tuition Fee: C$36,600
Intake: NA
Acceptance: NA

School of Law
Tuition Fee: C$36,600
Intake: NA
Acceptance: NA


UBC Vancouver Logo
The University of British Columbia, Vancouver

School of Engineering
Tuition Fee: C$9,000
Intake: NA
Acceptance: 45%

School of MBA/Management
Tuition Fee: C$9,800
Intake: NA
Acceptance: 45%

School of Medicine
Tuition Fee: C$9,800
Intake: NA
Acceptance: 45%

School of Sciences
Tuition Fee: C$9,800
Intake: NA
Acceptance: 45%

School of Arts
Tuition Fee: C$9,800
Intake: NA
Acceptance: 45%

School of Architecture
Tuition Fee: C$9,800
Intake: NA
Acceptance: 45%

School of Law
Tuition Fee: C$9,800
Intake: NA
Acceptance: 45%


UWO Logo
Western University

School of Engineering
Tuition Fee: C$12,000
Intake: NA
Acceptance: NA

School of MBA/Management
Tuition Fee: C$21,100
Intake: NA
Acceptance: NA

School of Medicine
Tuition Fee: C$23,000
Intake: NA
Acceptance: NA

School of Sciences
Tuition Fee: C$23,000
Intake: NA
Acceptance: NA

School of Arts
Tuition Fee: C$21,100
Intake: NA
Acceptance: NA

School of Law
Tuition Fee: C$23,000
Intake: NA
Acceptance: NA


U Waterloo Logo
University of Waterloo

School of Engineering
Tuition Fee: C$15,000
Intake: NA
Acceptance: NA

School of MBA/Management
Tuition Fee: C$16,100
Intake: NA
Acceptance: NA

School of Medicine
Tuition Fee: C$16,100
Intake: NA
Acceptance: NA

School of Sciences
Tuition Fee: C$16,100
Intake: NA
Acceptance: NA

School of Arts
Tuition Fee: C$16,100
Intake: NA
Acceptance: NA

School of Architecture
Tuition Fee: C$16,100
Intake: NA
Acceptance: NA


McGill Logo
McGill University, Montreal

School of Engineering
Tuition Fee: C$20,000
Intake: NA
Acceptance: NA

School of MBA/Management
Tuition Fee: C$44,500
Intake: NA
Acceptance: NA

School of Medicine
Tuition Fee: C$28,400
Intake: NA
Acceptance: NA

School of Sciences
Tuition Fee: C$28,400
Intake: NA
Acceptance: NA

School of Arts
Tuition Fee: C$28,400
Intake: NA
Acceptance: NA

School of Architecture
Tuition Fee: C$28,400
Intake: NA
Acceptance: NA

School of Law
Tuition Fee: C$28,400
Intake: NA
Acceptance: NA


U Alberta Logo
University of Alberta, Edmonton

School of Engineering
Tuition Fee: C$10,000
Intake: NA
Acceptance: NA

School of MBA/Management
Tuition Fee: C$8,000
Intake: NA
Acceptance: NA

School of Medicine
Tuition Fee: C$9,100
Intake: NA
Acceptance: NA

School of Sciences
Tuition Fee: C$9,100
Intake: NA
Acceptance: NA

School of Arts
Tuition Fee: C$9,100
Intake: NA
Acceptance: NA

School of Law
Tuition Fee: C$9,100
Intake: NA
Acceptance: NA