Jerseygirl

My daughter attended uni in Toronto for 5 years. If you attend a 4 yr course and graduate you are allowed to stay and work for 2 or 3 years (can't remember which). She got a job as soon as she graduated and is working on a student work permit...during this time she can and will apply for PR status.

$10/$11,000 per year is being very optimistic IMO...although I suppose it depends on the course and uni. You will need to prove that you have the funds to pay the uni and support yourself before you receive a study permit.

DigitalGhost

To be honest though, if you can provide the evidence of sufficient support funds then $10k Canadian isn't that far away from what an MSc would cost you at a UK university, even as a British citizen.

DigitalGhost

How much were your daughter's tuition fees if you don't mind me asking? And do they normally quote by the term over there like UK/US uni's do for international students or are the figures quoted online generally for one year/the whole course?

Jerseygirl

The figure quoted is for the year. I can't remember the cost of the fees...when she started her course in 2003 I think the figure quoted was about $13K. However, she picked up extra subjects which pushed the cost up and there are books to pay for on top of that. The cost varies from course to course. There is also a mandatory requirement to purchase health insurance...this is on top of the fees.

She had no intention of staying in Canada when she graduated (we are Brits living in the US), but she gradually fell in love with the city and is very happy living and working there.

DigitalGhost

Do you live in Canada yourself too then?

To be honest, an MSc in a UK brick university can cost around 5k a year for a domestic student now so 13k Canadian doesn't really sound all that bad and is definitely a lot cheaper than the rates in the US I think.

Jerseygirl

We are living in New Jersey, US...we are Brits with UK and US citizenship. As I mentioned earlier our daughter stayed in Toronto after graduating.

You are correct a US university costs more...on the face of it. We found with travel, hotel costs when visiting her, exchange rates etc etc there really wasn't much in it in the end.

Jerseygirl

I don't know whether you've seen this.

Although it wasn't my daughter's intention it does seem a pretty good path to working and living in Ontario...especially if you are just beginning uni because a 2 year or more course can lead to a 3 year work permit.

PMM

Hi

1. Don't forget that you also have to have 10K for living expenses for the principal and 4K for each dependent on top of the first years tuition.
2. For the spouse to obtain a work permit, the school must meet the following criteria

"Eligibility criteria: To be allowed to work in this category, you must prove that you are the spouse of a student who holds a valid student permit and who is studying full time at a post-secondary institution—a university, a community college, a CEGEP, a technical or school of commercial studies—that is financed by the private or public sector and authorized by provincial law to award university degrees."

el_richo

Sounds like a very expensive way to "maybe" gain residency on a permanent basis to me

Bali2010

Hi

My sister did something similar, whilst their PR application was running (this was before the circa 12 months new rules FSW timeline).

She went to college as an international student, her hubby got a work permit.
She could then also get a work placement (not really a proper job) at some point during her course.

Whilst this was in BC, so not where you were aiming for, the college she went to seems to have a cost calulator to help the international students understand things, which might be of interest.

Once she gained PR, she dropped out, but think as her course was modular, she had something to take with her as well.

http://www.okanagan.bc.ca/department..._to_study.html

john5655

a few comments from my perspective as I am in the process of applying for a study permit with the intention of spending my time in Canada waiting for my PR application to get processed

I am no expert

it is expensive to get onto a post secondary course in Canada, most uni fees run at around $16,000 for one year (double that for an MBA)

CIC will test your bona fides, i.e. are you really going to Canada to study? just signing up for any old course is not good enough, the guidelines and operational manual OP12 set out extensive explanations for what a visa officer should look for

OP 12 is compulsory reading

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resourc...p/op12-eng.pdf

my course has a "co-op work module" so i get paid work for four months as part of the course (minimum wage I suspect)

other costs to consider, a car, compulsory (uni rules) medical insurance, for me and the wife I reckon on needing $25,000 per year on top of the fees (but I don't intend to live like a 18 y.o. student)

a spouse/common-law partner is eligible for an open work permit

as a student you can get an off-campus work permit after six months of the course ( many restrictions exist with this permit, like number of hours you can work, progress checks on your studies to ensure you are still able to pass your course )

my two-year diploma (first two years of a degree, can't enter third year without passing the diploma with a good pass), if I pass, will qualify me for a three-year post grad work permit (also an open permit) so more avenues for PR application if my current one falls through (except for a medical or security check problem of course)

hope this helps

The Lost Paddy

But from other posts it seems fairly certain that you will get PR, or am I incorrect in that?

DigitalGhost

I don't think you can ever really be 'certain' of that, particularly as the rules can change at any time.

el_richo

It would seem that gaining PR from this route has a high probability (based on reading posts here) but there is a chance that you will not.

It's all down to your risk threshold. Spending what looks to be in excess of ~$25k in tuition fees, on top of that having the ability to show the same again to prove your financial status, and spending all the other assorted expenses that go with emigrating and starting a-fresh, has the potential to be costly if you're not successful.

If you're willing to accept the potential losses then that's great, i say enjoy it and embrace the adventure.

If not, then just be careful.

All my opinion and have not been down this route so couldn't be 100% certain of how much shit i'm talking

DigitalGhost

I think (sadly) you're completely correct.

Also, part of the criteria for obtaining a student permit is that, in the eyes of the CIC, you can prove that you intend to leave Canada at the end of your course of study so you may need to be quite careful around that one.