Pilot program gives work permits to full-time international students
Will attract more international students to province, government hopes
International students in Manitoba can now work off-campus, thanks to a new federal-provincial pilot program announced at the end of last month.
The program, a two-year joint initiative of the governments of Canada and Manitoba, allows full-time international students to apply for an open work permit. The permit allows students to work a maximum of 20 hours per week outside of their post-secondary institution while they attend school. Currently, full-time international students are only authorized to work on the campus of the institution where they attend classes.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada will issue the permits to eligible students for one year.
In a statement issued with the announcement of the program, Denis Coderre, federal minister of citizenship and immigration, said that the new program will appeal to international students trying to decide where to pursue their education.
"Off campus work programs will help to make our post-secondary institutions even more attractive internationally by giving students the opportunity to earn while they learn and gain some experience in the Canadian labour market," he said.
Fred Drewe, interim director of the University of Manitoba's International Centre for Students, agreed that the program will likely bring more attention to Mantioba's universities and colleges.
"It makes it easier to recruit students from abroad," he said. "[We're] in a better competitive position."
Drewe also noted that the program is one that international students have been requesting for some time.
"We've been pressuring [the government] for this for a long time because it seems unfair that international students can only work on campus," he said. "There are 1,700 students and many of them are looking for jobs and there's this little pool."
Yuriko Otani, an international fine arts student, said that being limited to working on campus does not allow her to gain work experience related to her field of study.
"I'm so excited by [the program]," she said. "[Right now], when you're trying to find a job after you graduate, you don't have any experience other than just working in the cafeteria."
Guqi Wang, who has already been in Manitoba for several years, agrees that the program will benefit new international students.
"It's a very good opportunity," he said.
Michael Rosenstock, a spokesperson for the Canadian Federation of Students, said that his organization has been lobbying for a program of this kind for over a year, circulating a petition that received over 1,000 signatures. Rosenstock expressed some concern over whether the government will now charge more for international students to attend the province's post-secondary institutions.
Rosenstock said that international students already pay a 75 per cent differential fee with their tuition.
"We're really concerned that this move will allow the government to further increase the differential fee," he said. "The government has been continuously seeking more international students because they pay more money."
Rosenstock also asserted that there are many advantages to having students from varying backgrounds attend an institution.
"International students bring a vast amount of cultural additions, they help the economy out, [and] they pay taxes," he said. "Working off-campus is a right."