14 February 2008

Canadian immigration opens up to international graduates

New opportunities for British graduates could be available in Canada after the country's Waterloo province looks set to recruit more international students into full-time employment.

Michael Chan, minister of citizenship and immigration in Ontario, has outlined plans to encourage international students to stay on after their graduation and take up permanent work, reports the Record.

The province needs skilled workers to fill labour shortages and Britons - who may be required to have a Canadian skilled worker visa - applying for work after graduating from a Canadian university or college would find their application for permanent residency fast-tracked by the country's citizenship and immigration department, the article noted.

Canada's Technology Triangle, which has links across cities in North America, received the 2007 leadership award from the Canadian Urban Institute.

"When international students move to Ontario to study, many of them want to stay on after graduation … And our government wants them to stay," Mr Chan commented after the Ontario minister announced the expansion of the Pilot Provincial Nominee Programme at the University of Waterloo this week.

Anyone applying for a Canadian visas should begin by taking Visa Bureau’s online assessment to see if they meet the basic legislative requirements.