geek

Hello,
Hey everybody, I just finished my Ms.c in computer science and since my grades and my achievements were kinda cool. i started thinking about pursing a Ph.D career and somehow i got interested in Canada and New Zealand. However, what totally changed my campus to Canada was this piece of news
h t t p ://chronicle.com/article/Quebec-Offers-Fast-Tracked/63864/
When the folks in Quebec said that international students will get a big bonus that will help them in getting the Canadian citizenship. Now, this offer seems quite amazing, so does anyone of you guys know anything about it. is it true or not?
what are the suggestion for me in this case,
I'm really looking for help here guys, so any will be greatly appreciated thanks

PMM

Hi

1. Did you read the date of the article? Feb/10.
2. You first have to obtain Permanent Residence, and then 3 years residency before you can apply for citizenship.
3. There is a Federal PR program for PHD students in Canada. See:

Category 2

You are an international student currently enrolled in a doctoral (PhD) program, delivered by a recognized post-secondary educational institution located in Canada, and:

have completed at least two years towards the completion of your PhD,
are in good academic standing, and
are not a recipient of a Government of Canada award requiring you to return to your home country to apply your knowledge and skills,

OR

you have completed a PhD program from a recognized post-secondary educational institution located in Canada no more than 12 months before your application is received by the Centralized Intake Office (CIO) and:

you have not received a Government of Canada award that requires you to return to your home country to apply your knowledge and skills; or
if you were a recipient of such an award, you have satisfied the terms/conditions of the award.

geek

yes sir i did read the feb/10 article and it was included in my thread.

I'm kinda new to this. Therefore, please bare with me if my questions look kinda naive and repetitive for you.

the first part you talked about was pretty clear so thanks.

However, I'm interested in part two.
is it applicable only in Quebec province or in Canada as whole? in my case i'm only applying to major universities of Quebec province which gained the global acceptance and recognition as well.
So if i completed two-years of my phd i can apply for citizenship? right
and i can apply for Canadian scholarships. But, these scholarships must not oblige me to go back to my home country.
And in the case of fulfilling all the terms and conditions in Category two. technically i'm considered eligible to apply for Canadian citizenship?

I hope you can find the time to answer me soon, and your help is highly appreciated
Thanks

PMM

Hi

1. The PHD PR program is for Canada except for Quebec. They have their own program. What I was pointing out in the article was the age of it, Jean Charest is no longer the Premier and the other error, you can't get citizenship (Federal responsibility with Permanent Residence)
2. Quebec has the PEQ program for Foreign students who have a diploma from Quebec and the Regular student program for those students in Quebec. You can check out both programs here: http://www.immigration-quebec.gouv.q...csq/index.html
3. You can apply for scholarships, but should note that as Foreign Student, you will not be eligible for any Federal or Provincial scholarships, probably only those issued by the University where you will be studying.
4. Without University support, you will also have to demonstrate that you have sufficient funds for the first year tuition and $12K for living and travel expenses for the first year.
5. You keep referring to getting "citizenship" You have to apply for Permanent Residence once you are eligible. That process can take over a year or more. In Quebec, you would have to be accepted into one of their programs and apply and receive a CSQ. Only then can you apply Federally for Permanent Residence. The present processing time for a complete application for 80% of the applications is 9 months.

Oink

I'm not sure about CS but if you have decent research and have published a few papers you might want to look at US institutions as they give out research grants/teaching fellowships like there's no tomorrow.