Canada is located in the Northern Hemisphere and it is the second largest country in the world. It is located directly above the U.S. Canada is a country occupying most of North America. It extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east, to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean. Canada is to the Southwest of Greenland. The provinces and territories of Canada combine to make up the world's second-largest country by area. There are ten provinces and three territories. The major difference between a Canadian province and a territory is that provinces are jurisdictions that receive their power and authority directly from the Constitution Act, 1867, whereas territories derive their mandates and powers from the federal government. The ten provinces are Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and Saskatchewan, while the three territories are Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and Yukon.

There are three types of visas for visitors of Canada, and residents of many countries. Canada has a long list of territories that are exempt from any visa requirement. Below, the visa types are defined, along with some other documents and permissions that may be required, depending on the nature of your visit to Canada. There are several ways for skilled workers and professionals to immigrate to Canada, either permanently or temporarily. Each category is marked on a points system with different pass marks according to the criteria.

There are two types of Visa in Canada

Temporary Visa is subdivided into 3 different types:

Canada welcomes more than 35 million temporary residents (non-immigrants) each year. The TRV is a document issued by a Canadian Immigration Visa Office outside Canada, showing that the holder has satisfied the requirements for admission to Canada as a visitor. Temporary Resident Visas may be for single entry or multiple entries. Unless they are citizens of a visa-exempt country, individuals who wish to enter Canada for a temporary purpose, such as tourists and international students (study permits) must apply for and be granted a Temporary Resident Visa (TRV). The visitor visa is a type of nonimmigrant visa for persons desiring to enter the Canada temporarily for pleasure, tourism or medical treatment. International travelers with visitor visas comprise a large portion of temporary visitor travel to the Canada every year.

Canada Student Visa Information

A student visa to Canada is usually a simple process, if you know what is required from you. Canada student visa is usually needed for programs that are longer than 6 months.
Canada offers a range of programs which are attractive to Indian students. From multimedia and animation to journalism and mass media or mass communication, business and management, marketing, finance, agriculture, engineering, pharmacy technician, advertising, writing, graphic design, film studies, digital media and more, you will easily find in India.
MBA in Canada is one of the most popular and renowned across the world. Many Canadian MBAs are ranked at the top in the World Ranking. Have you known about the University of Toronto?
Canada is extremely popular amongst Indian students for its undergraduate studies since both quality and affordability at some of top Canadian Colleges seems to be an attractive opportunity.

Types of Education Institutions in Canada

The degrees & diplomas from Canadian Institutions are among the most widely recognized in the world. The education system in Canada encompasses of both public funded & private institutions. Students have a diverse choice of 92 Universities & 175 Community Colleges offering a wide array of programmes. While pursuing their studies, the students, are allowed to work for the first 6 months on-campus and thereafter off-campus. Student can earn more from vocational & Technology courses than normal degrees.

Post secondary education is offered by four types of educational institutions:

Technical / Career Colleges: These are privately owned and operated with the main objective of preparing students for the job market after a short period of instruction. The emphasis at career colleges is on practical skills over a broad range of programmes. Students seeking short-term training programs in multimedia, film studies, computer/internet studies, graphic design and hospitality to name a few, may want to consider applying to a career college.
Some examples of Canadian education Institutions of this type are: Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa Culinary Arts Institute, Vancouver Film School, Imperial Hotel Management College and such other Institutions

Community Colleges & Technical Institutes: They typically have more career oriented, practical/ technical related curricula, with small classes, off-campus course offerings, a greater ratio of laboratory space to class room space, and an interactive teaching style.
Here are some Institutions of the said type: Northwest Community College, Vancouver Community College, New Brunswick Community College, Nova Scotia Community College, Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology, Centennial College of Applied Arts and Technology and many more

University Colleges: As a component of the Canadian University system, University Colleges offer students a choice of either academic oriented university degree programmes or the more practical-oriented college diplomas and certificates. Students intending to acquire a degree at a university can complete their first two years of study at a community college or university college and earn credits

Universities: Canadian Universities are largely public funded and as a result, offer consistently high quality education at lower tuition rates for International students than their counterparts in competing countries. They offer a broad range of courses and degrees from Undergraduate to Doctorate and also certificate and professional degrees. Class sizes in universities are generally large
Some popular (or known) Canadian Universities are Carleton University (Ottawa), University of Ontario Institute of Technology (Oshawa), University of Toronto (Toronto), University of Saskatchewan (Saskatoon), University of Alberta (Edmonton), University of Calgary (Calgary), York University (Toronto), McGill University (Montreal), McMaster University (Hamilton), Dalhousie University (Halifax) and many more

The Student Partners Program is open to Indian nationals only.
SPP, this program is introduced by Canadian Embassy (Canadian Visa Offices in India) and The Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC) for the purpose of improving the outcomes of visa applications for Indian students who are aiming for studies abroad. This is particularly aimed at Indian students who want to apply for a student visa for Canada. The objective is to streamline the Canadian student visa process, minimize fraudulent submissions and most importantly, increase the approval rates for applications coming from India from good students. The Student Partners Program (SPP) is an administrative framework designed and implemented in partnership between the Canadian visa offices in India and the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC). The SPP was launched in April 2009 is being continued in 2011. For the calendar year 2011 the list of participating ACCC members is the following:

Some of benefits of applying under SPP are:

• Fast visa processing
• Advance medical reports
• Quality of an Institution is assured
• Lesser documentation is required during the visa application
• Income tax proof is not required>
• Generally an SPP visa application takes around 5 to 10 working days

In general you will need the following to apply for a student visa:

• A letter of acceptance from the school college, university or other educational institution in Canada.
• Proof that you have sufficient funds to pay tuition fees, living expenses to study in Canada
• Establish to Government of Canada that you will return home at the end of your studies
• You must satisfy an immigration officer that you will leave Canada when you have completed your studies.
• You will need to pass a medical exam if needed; and qualify as a temporary resident in Canada, including a temporary resident visa if require

Canada Colleges and universities require that all their applicants take one or more standardized tests. These tests include the GRE (Graduate Record Examination), and GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test). Additionally, applicants who are not Americans are required to also take the TOEFL (Test of English as Foreign Language) or IELTS (Most standardized tests are designed to measure a student's skills, rather than a student's amount of knowledge. The questions in these tests evaluate your ability to solve problems, not your knowledge of facts (such as important historical dates, or parts of the human anatomy).The function of standardized tests is to give colleges a way to evaluate all their applicants on an equal level. Comparison of grades received in courses or on exams is not always enough because different schools have different academic standards.

Entry dates vary with each school but a general guideline is below.

• JANUARY
• MAY
• SEPTEMBER

It is recommended to apply 6-8 months in advance and no later than 3 months if you have all your test scores in order. Please keep 2-4 weeks for visa approval

Cost of living and tuition fees for international students are generally lower in Canada than in other countries. Canadian Colleges charge lower tuition fees for international students than some other popular study destinations while also maintaining excellent quality of education. Though education in Canada is affordable, the lower fee also means that there will be more competition in getting your admission in Canada (thus apply early).

Student applicants who have been accepted and have an offer letter can apply for a Study Permit (Student visa).To apply for a visa, you need to fill the application forms, pay the Canada embassy Fee & 1st semester fee, provide all relevant documents including proof of financial support.

Work during and after and co-op programme in Canada

Part Time Work: International students can work on the University/College campus, where as off campus work is permitted only after 6 months. Full-time students can work in their institutions without the need for an employment authorization. International students can work up to 20 hours per week during their studies and 40 hours per week during vacation. They can earn approximately C$ 7 - C$ 12 per hour. Students can work full time off campus during co-op terms and can earn approximately C$ 10 - C$ 15 per hour, amounting to C$ 400 to C$ 600per week.

Co-op Programs: Several programs may even have a paid co-op term (popularly known as Co-op programs) where you get hands on experience in working in the industry. These may even be paid co-ops (like the study and work courses).

Work after the course: You are allowed to work in Canada for 1 to 3 years after completing your academic program depending on the length of the program. This means you have a realistic chance of recovering your cost in Canada after your studies

Note: While applying for a student authorization you must be able to prove to the visa officer that you have enough finances to support yourself for the entire length of your study program