Hi
My son is considering moving to Vancouver to live with his father at aged 16yrs after his GCSEs. Is this a good age to enter the Canadian education system or would he be better off completing his education in the UK until he is 18yrs? I am finding it very confusing looking online. My ex is only giving me minimal information and I just seem to becoming more muddled. Especially as my son is looking at vocational type education too.
Hope you can help

I suspect a difficult one to answer 😏 We moved here (to Ontario) after my daughter did her GCSEs - she got some credits for them, then did two further years here to complete high school. You will need to consider whether his GCSEs alone give him an entry into whatever he wants to do in BC. Generally in Canada, the High School diploma is what employers, further education institutions etc are looking for - and this is usually only attainable on completion of Grade 12.
So if he were to move after his GCSEs, I suspect he will need to do at least two further years at school in Canada, assuming that he gets sufficient credit for his UK qualifications. In Ontario, 30 credits are required to graduate high school, and usually students gain 8 each year.
Guidance offices at high school are usually very helpful, so it may be worth contacting the local one.

Another consideration is residency for the purpose of post-secondary education fees. Someone who attended two years of high school in BC is likely going to be an "in province" student. Someone who just arrived may not be.

Excellent point - one of the factors for my daughter starting in Grade 11, not 12, was that by the time she was going to uni, she had PR (which would not have been the case a year earlier) and this meant for fees, she was classed as a home student.

A few friends have had kids moving here just after GCSEs and they all went into grade 11 and them graduated after 12.
The school counsellors are usually quite good at placing students from all over the world as there is a constant flow of international students in even the smallest school districts.
Vancouver even more so as they see international students as an income source.

Depending on what subjects your child did and the marks will determine the equivalent courses and then a map to graduation will be created for your child to achieve their objectives. Most schools have courses tailored to students who are moving on to academic post secondary as well as those moving on to vocational style learning.

My son just completed his GCSEs and in talking to the school will go into grade 11. He moves out in 7 days.

I think the reply above mentioned that most employers here do not want to have to work out if your qualifications are equivalent so getting the high school diploma will help immensely in employment, apprenticeships, and schooling. Makes the application process easier if no further clarification is needed.

Keep in mind that for the small local university close to us the tuition is $6000 a year while in the uk it is £9250 a year. Might be cheaper here to get what they want. Compare the prices of the course they want to do and also look at the job prospects post qualification. There is a huge shortage of trained vocational style workers here at the moment.

Hope that helps.

Is this a thing at undergrad/college level? I know American states charge differential tuition, so e.g. a Coloradan, a Montanan, and a Brit at University of Colorado will pay 3 different levels, but every Canadian uni I was looking at just had distinction between Canadians (citizen/PR/refugee) and foreigners (study permits). Didn't matter where the uni was, someone from BC/NWT/SK would all pay the same 'Canadian' rate. But that was second entry degrees, so could be different lower down.

Yes. I had to pay "out of State" but not international rates for my daughter when she was at university in NS and for the first year when she was in Qc. After that she was a Qc resident. She subsequently went to university in BC but I didn't pay and wouldn't like to guess where she was legally resident by then.

We moved a 15 year old in her GCSE year (yes, the parents from hell) because in Grade 10 they start earning credits towards graduation (I'm in North Van). As previously stated, the counsellors are pretty good at knowing how best to integrate students from all over. Her counsellor handled her well and didn't mollycoddle her. She had completed two GCSEs and a Duke of Edinburgh bronze before she came. The counsellor worked hard to get her credit for all three.

The younger moved at 11 so doesn't have any GCSEs at all. I don't think she'll suffer from the lack. If they're all you've got they're important, but what do you really need them for if you go on to graduate high school here?

We've been involved in education in BC for almost 49 years, from kindy to st graduate level.

The GCSE is basically little known here, and would be difficult for a college or university to adjudicate .......... your son would be behind the wicket all the way along.

A high school diploma is the ticket to everything.

TBH .......... it would be best for him to come over this summer, assuming you can get all permissions needed, and go to the local high school for Grades 11 and 12.

Then apply after that to the college of his choice.

There are several colleges in BC that are excellent for vocational courses, and he will be able to get advice on which way to go to get the training he wants from the counsellors at the high school.

By that time, he will also be classified as a resident in BC, and will pay BC tuition rates.


I don't know whether his father will have to pay fees at the high school as your son will be a new resident .............. all depends on the visa or permit that he gets.



Every one of you needs to be making a decision if he wants to come out before the new school year starts on Tuesday Sept 5. Time is running short.

Last 2 years in high school could be a great experience. He could also do first year apprenticeship through the high school program and get a $1000 grant at the end of it if he get the work hours in.
Secondary School Apprenticeship (SSA) - Province of British Columbia

good point!

Would he need to have PR to qualify for that?

He would need a SIN, not sure a student permit would do it. Most likley not, as there is an employment element that is paid employment.

Siouxie ............ this was a programme started some years in BC schools with the intention of answering the problems of a) students dropping out before graduating, b) increasing the number of apprentices entering the trades, and c) providing an option for students who were not academically inclined or interested.

The initial advertising for the programme included information on how much trades people could earn ........... an attempt to convince parents that there were well paid options to becoming a doctor, accountant, etc


It is a pre-apprenticeship programme intended to give the student experience before entering into an apprenticeship in a trade. Apprenticeships now have to include attendance at courses given by local colleges.

It is certainly given in Grade 12, but I am not sure whether it is also an option in Grade 11. It may not be available in all schools ........ I understand the option has to be taught by teachers experienced in the trades.


It usually gets good ratings ............ but either the OP or her husband needs to contact the local school board to find out if an international student is eligible to enter the programme, and what the costs (if any) would be

I presume the father would bring the son over as family??

I do not know whether other provinces have similar pre-apprenticeship programmes in high schools. Nor do I know whether there are any pre-requisites before a student is accepted into the programme.

these links provide more information ....

http://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/edu...enticeship.pdf

Career and Skills Training - Province of British Columbia