CANADA STUDENT PARTNERS PROGRAM (SPP)

The Student Partners Program (SPP) is a pilot project designed and implemented in partnership between the Canadian visa offices in India and the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC). This pilot program aims to test a model for expediting the student visa process and delivering higher approval rates while maintaining program integrity. Twenty of ACCC's member colleges have been involved in this Program, which list is mentioned below. The participating institutions were selected on the basis of 2008 volumes.

Students interested in submitting applications under the SPP will be encouraged to contact the member college for information. At this time, SPP is open to Indian nationals only. Application submission under the SPP is at the discretion of each member college. All students are strongly encouraged to submit supporting documents as indicated in the checklists to facilitate the processing of their applications, their should not be any fraudlent documents attached with the application

List of colleges that have been invited for the SPP

• Camosun College, British Columbia
• Columbia College, British Columbia
• Vancouver Community College, British Columbia
• Vancouver Island University, British Columbia
• Bow Valley College, Alberta
• Grant McEwan College, Alberta
• Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, Alberta- www.nait.ca
• Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, Alberta
• Red River College, Manitoba
• Algonquin College, Ontario- www.algonquincollege.com
• Cambrian College, Ontario- www.cambriancollege.ca
• Centennial College, Ontario- www.centennialcollege.ca
• George Brown College, Ontario
• Georgian College, Ontario
• Humber College, Ontario
• Loyalist College, Ontario
• Mohawk College, Ontario- www.mohawkcollege.ca
• Niagara College, Ontario
• Seneca College, Ontario- www.senecac.on.ca
• Sheridan College, Ontario- www.sheridaninstitute.ca

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS-(FAQ)

Question: Is an Education loan mandatory? What if students don’t want to avail loan?
Answer: Yes, the Education Loan is mandatory. This takes the place of all the financial paperwork that you had to do in the past. They are only asking for the first year’s cost of living which they have calculated at $8,000. A larger loan is required if they don't pay their first years tuition. ($8,000 + the difference of what was paid and the full years tuition).

Question: Shall we ask the student to prepare the financial documents or only education loan would be sufficient to get visa?
Answer: Just the Education loan. Remember that the CHC is providing a 14 day window to review the file. This means that you can send files into the CHC up until August 1st so the applicant has plenty of time to get an Education Loan.

Question: What if a student has already written a TOEFL test. Do they have to write the IELTS as well?
Answer: Under the SPP, TOEFL is no longer acceptable. There has been to much fraud involving TOEFL for the CHC to accept the scores at face value. This is no different then the Aussies and U.K. High Commissions as they also do not accept TOEFL.

Annex: The Education Loan must be provided by a bank governed by the central bank of India.

Acceptable financial institutions in India:

All international banks operating in India also meet these criteria.

Question: Do I need a study permit to study at a Canadian educational institution?
Answer:Canadian colleges, universities, technical institutes and other educational institutions encourage applications from qualified international students. If you are going to study in Canada for more than six (6) months, you need a study permit. Applicants going to study in any field in Canada for six (6) months or less do not require a Study Permit and can be apply for visitor visas. However, this applies only if the full course will be completed in six six months or less. You cannot go to Canada on a visitor visa and study the first six months of a longer course without a study permit and then obtain a permit later.

If you intend to study in the .

What are the basic requirements for a Study Permit?

• they will leave Canada by the end of the period authorized for their stay,
• that they will not contravene the conditions of admission (for example, that they will not work without prior authorization or waiver),
• that they have sufficient funds for their tuition fees, to maintain themselves and any accompanying family members, and to transport themselves to and from Canada, without working in Canada, and
• that they do not belong in a category of persons inadmissible to Canada under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

Question: Do I need to take an IELTS test?
Answer:It is strongly recommended that you take an IELTS test if you intend to study in English. You will need to satisfy a visa officer that you will observe the conditions of your admission to Canada and will depart Canada at the end of the period authorized for your stay. A proven and verifiable ability to communicate in the language of your studies will assist the officer in making that determination.

Question: What kind of funds do I need to show?
Answer:You will need to satisfy a visa officer that you have sufficient funds available for your studies, including tuition, living costs and transportation, without working. Please see Question 7 for documents you should submit and Question 10 for the amount of funds required. It is highly recommended that you arrange the funds that you will be using to support your studies according to the guidelines below.

If you are funding your studies in whole or in part through your savings, your immediate family’s savings or a sponsor’s savings, it is in your interest to:

provide verifiable documentary evidence of immediately available funds in a credible financial institution that     have been available for your studies for at least 6 months prior to the date of your application;

demonstrate that any loan is secured, verifiable and from a credible financial institution;

provide your, your parents’ or your sponsor’s banking records for the 24 months prior to your application;

provide documentary proof that explains any large deposits in your, your parents’ or your sponsor’s savings;     and

provide documentary proof that you, your family or your sponsor has a stable income that explains the     savings or loan available for your studies.

If you do not follow these guidelines, your study permit application may be rejected without interview on that     grounds that you have not satisfied an officer that you have sufficient funds.

The officer deciding each case determines whether banking documents are acceptable. Most scheduled     Indian banks and international banks operating in India are likely to be considered credible.

Please note that original documents are not accepted; if required , we will advise accordingly.

Question: How much money will I need during my studies in Canada?
Answer:If you will not receive funding from a Canadian educational institution or a governmental organization, you will be required to provide evidence that you or your family can readily afford the cost of an education in Canada on an ongoing basis. You must demonstrate that you will have enough money during your stay in Canada to pay for tuition fees, books, living expenses for yourself and any accompanying dependents, and return transportation for both yourself and your dependents.

According to Citizenship and Immigration Canada guidelines, you will require approximately $10 000 Canadian per year, not including tuition fees, to cover your living expenses. If your dependants are planning to accompany or join you, you will require an additional $4 000 for the first dependant, and $3 000 for each subsequent dependant, in addition to return airfare.

Question: Can my spouse and child come with me to Canada, or visit me at a later date?
Answer:If you proceed to Canada alone, it is possible that your dependants will not be able to join you there. If you wish your spouse and / or child to accompany you to Canada or to join you at a later date, you must provide proof that you will be able to support them. Please see the response to mentioned above paragraph.

Since funding provided by Canadian institutions or governmental organizations is normally sufficient for one person only, you will likely be required to provide proof of additional funding and/ or savings. Your dependants will also be required to demonstrate to a visa officer that they have sufficient ties to India to ensure their departure from Canada.

Question: Can I work while I am in school?
Answer:You are allowed to work on campus if you are pursuing full time studies and are in possession of a valid Study Permit. Otherwise, you will need permission from an immigration office to work while studying in Canada

Question: When should I apply?
Answer:It is very strongly recommended that you apply at least two months before the start of your studies. If you do not, you may miss the registration date specified on your letter of acceptance. A study permit will not be issued to you if you do not have a valid letter of acceptance when a final decision is made on your application.

You should apply as early as possible once you receive your acceptance letter. Please note that medical examinations are usually required for students from India and Nepal. This adds a minimum of two weeks to the processing of your application.

Please note that if you do not submit your application properly, or do not submit the correct documents, the processing time will be longer. Applicants who do not provide the required documents may be refused without an interview.