MANITOBA’S SUCCESSFUL OFF-CAMPUS WORK PILOT FOR
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS BECOMES PERMANENT PROGRAM
OTTAWA, November 25, 2005 — The Honourable
Joe Volpe, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, the
Honourable Nancy Allan, Manitoba Minister of Labour and
Immigration and the Honourable Diane McGifford, Manitoba
Minister of Advanced Education and Training, today announced
an agreement making an innovative two-year pilot program
allowing international students to work off campus a permanent
part of Manitoba’s highly successful international student
recruitment and immigration strategy.
“Manitoba can be proud of its stellar record in breaking
new ground in immigrant recruitment,” said Minister Volpe.
“The Off-Campus Work Permit Program will expose international
students to the many opportunities Manitoba offers as a place
for them to build their careers and lives.”
The Off-Campus Work Permit Program for International
Students was launched as a pilot in partnership with
Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Advanced Education and
Training, and Labour and Immigration in 2003. The two-year
pilot allowed international post-secondary students to obtain
off-campus work permits, replacing the previous restriction of
employment to the campus they were attending.
“This work permit program is an important element in our
immigration strategy to keep international graduates in
Manitoba once their studies are completed,” said Minister
Allan. “Working in the community and having opportunities to
make contacts in the private sector will help international
students create strong links to Manitoba.”
Manitoba’s success with the pilot program garnered interest
from other jurisdictions, national organizations and
international students and was instrumental in making this
initiative available to other provincial governments and
educational institutions. Under the first year of the pilot
project, a total of 528 applications were received from
Manitoba’s public post-secondary institutions. This figure
represents 46.2 percent of the 1,143 international students
eligible to participate in the program.
“We are delighted that the success of the Manitoba pilot
project means that the off-campus work program will be
permanent in this province and will be adopted by other
provincial governments,” said Minister McGifford. “The program
will create opportunities for international students to
participate more fully in Manitoba’s communities during their
studies.”
To be eligible for the program, international students must
complete six months of full-time study at a public
post-secondary institution. To remain eligible, they must
maintain their full-time student status, sustain satisfactory
academic standing and work no more than 20 hours a week during
regular classes. Implementation of this program will begin
once federal government funding is approved.
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For more information:
Government of Canada
Stephen Heckbert
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
(613) 954-1064
Lorraine Lavallee
Communications Advisor
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
(204) 984-7190
Government of Manitoba
Harlan Mushumanski
Communications Coordinator
Manitoba Labour and Immigration
(204) 945-0787
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