FEDERAL-PROVINCIAL AGREEMENT ON OFF-CAMPUS WORK FOR
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
OTTAWA, November 22, 2005 — In the
presence of the president of the Fédération étudiante
universitaire du Québec, the president of the Board of
Trade of Metropolitan Montreal and the secretary general
of the HEC Montréal, the Quebec Minister of Immigration
et Communautés culturelles, Lise Thériault, announced
that a new agreement had been negotiated between the
Quebec government and the Government of Canada on
off-campus work permits for international students. This
new agreement, made public today at the HEC Montréal,
opens the door to off-campus work for international
students in all regions of Quebec, including Montréal
and Québec City. In total, nearly one hundred institutes
of higher education in Quebec will be eligible to
participate in the program.
“I am delighted with the broadening of this program,”
said Minister Thériault, “because it responds to the
specific request of the Quebec government, expressed
unanimously by the participants of the Forum of
Generations. This agreement will make Quebec more
attractive on the international scene and allow it to
remain competitive with other Canadian provinces that
plan to implement such a program and with other
countries where off-campus work is permitted.”
“International students bring with them new ideas and
cultures, enriching campus and community life,” added
federal Minister of Citizenship and Immigration
Joe Volpe. “Off-campus work agreements will enable these
students to acquire work experience on the labour
market, strengthen their ties to local communities and
improve their experience in Canada.”
An off-campus pilot project was implemented in the
summer of 2004. Since the project does not apply to the
Montréal and Québec regions, over 85% of international
students are currently excluded from it. The new
agreement is therefore raising a great deal of interest.
Aside from including the Montréal and Québec regions,
the new program will also be open to students enrolled
in pre-university college. The program will be offered
to recognized private institutions that are considered
to be in the public interest and that are subsidized by
the Ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport (MELS)
and to public institutions that are subsidized by a
ministry other than the MELS. The new agreement provides
for a limit of 20 hours of off-campus work per week
during the school term rather than 15 hours as is
currently the case. In compliance with the memorandum of
understanding between the two governments, eligible
students must obtain satisfactory grades in order to
receive an off-campus work permit. The work permit will
now be valid until the expiry date of the study permit.
“I am proud to say that a number of changes were made
to the program in response to the expectations of Quebec
and the institutions participating in the pilot project.
I would also like to make special mention of the
constant support we have received from the Fédération
étudiante universitaire du Québec on this matter,” added
Minister Thériault.
“International students contribute to the vitality of
their educational institutions and their host cities, to
our openness to the world and to the knowledge of Quebec
abroad, which is what makes this program so important,”
concluded the Minister.
Before students can apply for an off-campus work
permit, the province will have to come to an agreement
with each post-secondary educational institution wanting
to participate in the program. Agreements between the
province and the educational institutions must make
provision for monitoring foreign students. The
monitoring, in the form of reports, must show that
students are in good standing with their institution.
International students who are participating in an
exchange program or who are registered in English- or
French-as-a-second-language courses, as well as those
who have received scholarships from the Canadian
International Development Agency, the Canadian
Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan or the
Government of Canada Awards Program are not eligible for
the off-campus work program for international students.
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For further information (media only):
Marie-Hélène Paradis
Press Officer
Minister’s Office, Ministère de l’Immigration et
des Communautés culturelles
(514) 873-9940
Stephen Heckbert
Director of Communications
Minister’s Office
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
(613) 954-1064
Claude Fradette
Public affairs and Communications
Ministère de l’Immigration et des Communautés
culturelles
(514) 873-8624, extension 20443
Mylène Beauregard
Communications, Quebec Region
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
(514) 283-7222
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