1. What are the top-ranked universities in Canada?
Canada has many universities, though not as many as the US. However there are several rankings based on how they weigh different factors such as reputation, strength of faculty, student/faculty ratios, number of students, number of students with scholarships, etc.
2. What is the general deadline for application?
Generally the application deadlines for most Canadian Universities are early January for the coming Fall term. But there is a system of pre-application which has to be filled up a few weeks prior to actual application. I would suggest you start the application process by early November or latest by December. Please check the web sites of each university for correct deadlines. The pre-app process is very important in some of the departments at University of Western Ontario . Unless a supervisor picks up your pre-app, and approves it, you will not be admitted. It is advisable to wait until you get a positive response from a faculty member before filling up the full application.
Once the pre-application is accepted by any particular faculty member, and if he has given you a positive answer, the application process is just a formality.
3. What are the living expenses like as a Canadian student?
Expenses are due to various reasons. Canadian universities charge only a fraction of the fees charged by US universities. However, it is by no means cheap.
Fees per semester (for graduate students) come to about 4058 dollars/term. But usually all international students will be given two scholarships IGSS (International Graduate Student Scholarship) and SUS (Special University Scholarship) (if selected for admission) which reduces the fees to about 1250 dolloars/term.
Housing: Rent can cost anything from $250 a month to over $550 depending on your whether you can live in a shared apartment/house or whether you want to live alone in a 1 bedroom apartment. If sharing a house/apartment count on around $350 per month.
Living Off-Campus would mean that you will be traveling by bus/train, the cost of travel is covered in fees itself and all graduate students are given bus passes for travel.
Other miscellaneous expenses come out to between $250 and $400 including food (if cooking at home).
Thus, you need at least $14000 per year all-inclusive.
4. Financial Aid?
Most of the info below applies only to engineering and sciences. Please talk to people in your department for the most accurate information.
If you are admitted into a research or thesis based program in engineering or sciences, you are usually assured of sufficient financial aid from your supervisor and from the university.
Most MEng programs like the one in Civil and Environmental Engineering at University of Western Ontario , are offered without financial aid. It is very difficult to come here get aid for the first term you are here. Department policies dictate aid to foreign students. Please contact your department or ISA members in your dept for more information.
Please note that there is no funding for the MEng, or other Course based programs and working off campus is considered a serious crime, which might lead to deportation. There are limited jobs that are available on campus.
All M.E.Sc/PhD students will usually get aid. Tuition has to be paid from the financial aid you receive. On average students get around $15000 (M.E.Sc) to $17000 (Ph.D) a year as financial aid, which is enough for a single person. Which includes the TA.
5. Booking your flight (ticket info, etc.)
The first thing to do is blocking tickets (this implies no financial commitment). This can be done via travel agents. Make sure the Travel Agent is reputed and a member of the IATA. Examples of dependable travel agents are - Travel Corporation of India (TCI), Parrys Travels, and All India Travel Agency (AITA) Parson (?) Complex. Block flights with many airlines/agencies (choose different airlines though). If you block different tickets with the same airline, they can cancel your tickets. This can be done early (3 4 months before the actual flight).
Put pressure on the agencies and get as much info as possible. Call the Airline if you need specific information.
Indicate whether you want Asian Vegetarian Meal (AVM) or non smoking section (All flights over North America are non smoking!)
Cross-check everything the travel agent says. However its not generally intelligent to call him a lying cheating weasel until after he has given you your tickets! Just kidding. You should also check whether you have confirmed seats on all legs of the flight. Some airlines (like our very own Air India) overbook flights, and dont give you confirmed tickets. These tickets have the advantage of being cancelable, but it could also happen that you reach the airport and they ask you to go the next day, if everything fills up.
The ticket can also be partly confirmed, as in your ticket to London will be confirmed, but your ticket from London to Edmonton, may be conditional. This is normal, especially if its near August/September (peak student travel season).
Some airlines offer Frequent Flier programs (e.g. Air France, TWA, etc., that is, after a certain # of miles of flying with that airline you get a free ticket). Enroll in such programs. However, you need to be a genius to make any sense of the different schemes they offer, and this author hasnt personally met anyone who has successfully gotten a useful free ticket.
Avoid flights where you have to change airlines in the middle of the journey. A direct flight is best. If airline transfers can't be avoided, leave at least a 4-6 hrs gap between the scheduled arrival of one flight and the scheduled departure of the connecting flight. Usually you may not get an option, as the travel agent will book you through some kind of deal. Also, there are no direct single airline flights from India to Edmonton, so its your call. Baggage is usually safer with a single airline - change of airline sometimes leads to misplaced luggage. Some airlines don't manage baggage transfer between flights either - you may have to personally carry it (check this while booking). Call the airline before you pay the money. Do not trust an Indian Airlines connecting flight (in case you use IA allow at least a day).
6. Getting the Visa and other related stuff.
Do I need a visitor visa? (Most frequently asked question)
If you hold an Indian passport, (for other passports check out www.cic.gc.ca)
then you need a visitor visa and a student authorization. When you apply to the Canadian embassy, just fill out ONE form for the student authorization. Do not fill out a form for visitor visa. They will automatically give you a multiple entry visitor visa enough to cover your duration of study when you apply for a student authorization.
The student authorization application kit is available at the Canadian Immigration Services website. Download it and fill it out and submit it at the nearest Canadian consulate. http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdffiles/kits/5269E.PDF
If this is your first time applying for a visa, then its usually preferable to make a personal appearance at the embassy/consulate.
The Canadian Refugee and Immigration Protection act changed on June 28 2002. How does it affect International Students?
Canada's new Immigration and Refugee Protection Act comes into effect June 28, 2002. While the Act and regulations accompanying the act do not dramatically change how Immigration manages international student issues, following are a few important changes:
The current document known as a student authorization will be called a study permit, a visitors visa will be called a temporary resident visa and an employment authorization will become a work permit.
Students on programs of study of less than 6 months will not require a study permit.
Students in programs of less than 6 months can still apply for a study permit prior to coming to Canada. A study permit would be required if the student wishes to work on campus during their studies or after 6 months decide to extend their studies.
Students whose study permit has expired by more than 90 days and who have not yet applied to extend it will not be entitled to have their student status reinstated. They will have to leave Canada and will not be able to apply for a new study permit to return to Canada until 6 months has elapsed. This is the most significant change - do not let your immigration documents expire as it could have a serious impact on your ability to continue your studies.
Minor children of individuals who hold a study or work permit will no longer require study permits to attend primary and secondary (K-12) school.
Please note that all other regulations remain the same. For example students can work on campus if they have a valid study permit and are registered full-time. Also, spouses of students can continue to work.
You may have heard rumours that international students were going to be permitted to work off campus. This is NOT a regulation contained in these new regulations. International students can only work on campus. We are still hopeful that Immigration will approve a policy to allow international students to work off campus but do not expect this until January 2003 at the earliest.
Can I apply elsewhere in India?
As mentioned above, the whole process can take up to 2 months because of the medical test. Its your call. It is advisable to apply for the visa in New-Delhi rather than in other locations in the county since the applications from other offices are sent to Delhi for processing (perhaps once in month). Applying elsewhere will probably increase how long you wait. But yes, you can apply in Mumbai at their Nariman point office, and some place in Chennai too.
Is it all over in a day?
Be prepared to stay in Delhi for more than a day preferably for 2 days since you have to get a medical examination done too, which might take time after the process at the Embassy. If you go through agents, then you might be able to get it done in one day, but thats pushing your luck. Collecting the visa (one month after the application) can sometimes take two days too.
Can I get the medical done earlier?
No, unless the Canadian consulate gives you your medical requirement document, the MP will not send your medical test report to the embassy. The embassy also will not accept your report. However, you can get your medical test done anywhere in India with any registered MP as the embassy will give you a list with medics in almost all major cities.
What if I am currently employed while applying for a visa ?
If you were working in India for a short duration before coming here, its your decision whether you want to tell the embassy about your work experience. In rare cases, they may ask for a relieving letter from the employer, which may not be so easy for you. However, on the other hand, its important that you tell the truth on the form. So if you have already resigned before applying, it would probably be ok to leave out the employer column on the application form, and just mention that you were studying. If asked you can always say that you have resigned, and so are no longer employed, which is technically correct.
