Hi there

We're looking at taking a year out and moving to Vancouver for 12 months. Our 16 year old daughter wants to study 3 subjects in the UK for A-Level, but understand that they don't do A-Levels in Canada but also students can leave school at 16. Does anyone know anywhere that she would be able to attend media courses at her age, or alternatively somewhere that she can study an A-Level equivalent?

I'm not sure where else to look, so any help is much appreciated.

Thanks
Maxilla

How do you plan to move to Vancouver for 12 months? Are you Canadian citizens or do you need visas?

There is not an A level equivalent in Canada, a high school diploma is the closest. She may need a study permit and you would have to pay international fees. How do I find out about schools for international students in Canada? Most further education course require grade 12 graduation, with specific grades in certain subjects. If she has O levels they may take an equivalency, but that would be up to the school.

It might be more helpful to her and less disruptive if she were to complete her studies in the UK.

We'll be on visa's from the UK.
More of a year out for me and the wife, but the kids (11 & 16) will study - I might also study too.
She will have just completed her GCSE's so might look in to one year college courses.

She will not be eligible for college or university courses with only GCSEs

Entrance to further education here is predicated on having completed high school graduation ........... which means Grade 12, age usually 18.

The English equivalent to Grade 12 is A levels.

This exactly what Aviator said above .............. High School graduation WITH diploma and specific grades.

A student age 16 will not have achieved that unless they are brilliant students who have skipped grades in school to graduate from Grade 12.


I'm curious .......... what kind of visa allows you to come here for 1 year without any defined plan, such as a job or acceptance into an accredited college or university?


You do realise that you will be paying international fees for any study?

Those are tough ages to pull your kids out of School for a year. They might find it easier doing remote learning on the UK school curriculum. All you need is a computer and an internet connection.

We haven't delved too far in to visa's yet, we want to get as much information on the schooling before anything else, if it's not possible, it's not possible (although anything is possible!).

They are tough ages for school, 11, not so much, but we had hoped that as BC education doesn't seem to be a pre=requisite to complete education to 18, that she might be eligible to do a year studying something else. They both like the idea of going to a Canadian school which is why we haven't considered the remote/home school learning route.

Trying to escape the humdrum and travel the road less travelled, we want our own Brexit!

I would be dealing with that first, if you are not eligible for visas, schooling is a mute point. For a year PR is likely not worth the hassle and getting a TWP might be hard as an employer is unlikely to go to the trouble and expanse of hiring a foreign worker that will be gone in 12 months. Getting a visa is not easy anymore. If were are under 30 (UK) or 35 and Irish it is easier with IEC.

I don't know what PR or TWP , but none of us are looking for work. Probably looking for a study visa more than anything else.

The phrase "anything is possible" just doesn't apply when dealing with visas and immigration - not just Canada,but any country!

Where did you get this information??

Please note that I have lived in Vancouver for over 50 years, both OH and I worked in one of the universities, and our child went through the BC education system from kindergarten to Masters degree at university, so I do have a fair layman's knowledge of education in BC

It is almost impossible now to get anywhere without having completed high school education to Grade 12 and got that diploma with decent results in several mandatory courses. This in fact has been the case for at least the last 30 years ................ the days of leaving school at age 14 or 15 and getting well-paid jobs in forestry or mining are well past.

We have already stated above, that you need the diploma for acceptance to both university and college ....... and please note that "College" in Canada means post-secondary education, NOT the A level college that you have in the UK. Even the technology colleges, which teach trade and apprenticeship courses, require graduation from high school.

But as also stated .............. you must find out whether you are even eligible to enter Canada. You need to be acceptable to Immigration before you can come over here for more than a tourist visit ...... and a year is much more than that!

That has to be your first step, not exploring education.

If either you or your wife have a Study Permit or a Work Permit your children will be able to attend school either on the basis of a Visitor Record or a Study Permit. If you both have Visitor Status and are in Canada your children are not authorized to attend school unless they have Study Permits to attend as international students.

It's in the BC School Act that a resident in BC must enrol in an education program when they are 5 and participate in an educational program provided by a board until he or she reaches the age of 16 years.

I get the advice to sort the visa issue first, but we're in a catch 22 situation here - if we can't get the education sorted out, we won't go and there's no point in looking at visa applications. IF we get a visa sorted and we can't get the education sorted, we won't go.

Don't you need to have an accepted placement anyway, before you can apply for a study visa??

I think the point everybody is trying to make is that your daughter is unlikely to get on to a college or uni course at age 16, as she won't be deemed to have finished secondary education, they'll think she's a 'high school dropout' as Canadians don't finish high school until age 18. A Levels are what Canadians consider equivalent to their secondary education system.

If education is the driving issue, then personally I'd contact some colleges yourself and see if they'd consider her at age 16 and with only GCSE's. Or if she really wants to do A Levels (a good idea if you're only going for a year and she'll need them in the UK anyway), then maybe look to see if there is an international school in Vancouver that does them?

Thank you, sounds sensible. :-)