Canada SPP attracts students from India

Until April 2009, there was a big concern among Canadian colleges and universities of not getting students from India as most of the visas were being rejected by the Canadian High Commission, New Delhi. The Student Partners Program (SPP) commonly termed as Students Partnership Program by the students and study abroad consultants in India was implemented in partnership between the Canadian High Commission and the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC) and is attracting a good number of students from all over India. At the time of writing this article on 23rd May 2011, the following colleges and universities were in the SPP list:
1. Algonquin College
2. Bow Valley College
3. Cambrian College of Applied Arts & Technology
4. Camosun College
5. Centennial College of Applied Arts & Technology
6. College of New Caledonia
7. College of the Rockies
8. Columbia College
9. Conestoga College
10. Confederation College of Applied Arts & Technology
11. Douglas College
12. Durham College
13. Fanshawe College of Applied Arts & Technology
14. George Brown College
15. Georgian College of Arts & Technology
16. Grant MacEwan University
17. Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning
18. Kwantlen Polytechnic University
19. Lambton College of Applied Arts & Technology
20. Loyalist College of Applied Arts & Technology
21. Marine Institute of Memorial University
22. Medicine Hat College
23. Mohawk College of Applied Arts & Technology
24. New Brunswick Community College
25. Niagara College
26. North Island College
27. Northern Alberta Institute of Technology
28. Northern College
29. Northern Lights
30. Okanagan College
31. Red River College of Applied Arts, Science & Technology
32. Selkirk College
33. Seneca College of Applied Arts & Technology
34. Sheridan College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning
35. St-Clair College of Applied Arts & Technology
36. St. Lawrence College
37. University of The Fraser Valley
38. Vancouver Island University
39. Vancouver Community College
40. New Brunswick College of Craft and Design
41. Fleming College
42. Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology (SIAST)
43. Parkland College

The students are cautioned to submit applications on time by 01 August for September intake and by 01 December for January intake while applying under SPP (Student Partners Program). It needs to be noted that SPP students apply to the participating college rather than the program.

To elaborate, SPP was started as a pilot project with plans to test a model for expediting the student visa process and delivering higher approval rates while maintaining program integrity. All Study Permit application checklists have been revised and improved as a result of the SPP framework to help students make simpler applications and Canadian High Commission informed decisions.

Rajni Bhatla, Director of Kampus Landing a leading overseas education consultant from Gujarat says, “There is a northward trend on the number of Indian students showing interest in studying in Canada. SPP requires students to have IELTS scores only. TOEFL is not valid for filing student visa under SPP though the students are eligible to file under general category. Strangely, even the Canadian colleges and universities prefer IELTS and students with TOEFL score find very few choices. We have experienced almost 100% success rate with IELTS but somehow students filing under general category with TOEFL scores have been scrutinized closely by Canadian High Commission and even the brightest of the students have faced rejection. You are strongly advised to file under Student Partners Program and avoid filing with TOEFL scores under general category.”

Further, Rajni Bhatla says, “The quality of education is very good in all community colleges and one should not rush just to Toronto or Vancouver, there’s a lot of advantages studying at provinces in Quebec and Manitoba. The students’ Canada PR application is fast tracked if filed under Provincial Nominee Program.”

Regarding mature students applying under SPP, Rajni Bhatla says, “Canada welcomes mature students’ applications, one can file at the age of 35 but should have a genuine reason to study at this age in Canada. If the mature student is not able to provide ample of evidence, the application is more likely to be rejected. We have had several applications between 30 and 35 which have successfully received Canada student visas under SPP and are presently studying in Canada.”

On the question on ethics of study abroad consultants in India, Rajni says, “The study abroad consulting industry in India is not regulated like China and UAE where study abroad consultant needs a license by the Ministry of Education to operate. The Indian Government needs to regulate the study abroad consulting industry and save hundreds from being duped by unscrupulous agents.”

She adds, “After successfully experimenting SPP in India, Canadian government has initiated the Student Partners program SPP in China. There are already 50,000 students from China studying in Canada and the number is expected to grow tremendously.”