FEDERAL-PROVINCIAL AGREEMENT ON OFF-CAMPUS WORK FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS IN ONTARIO

OTTAWA, November 28, 2005 — The Honourable Joe Volpe, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, and the Honourable Chris Bentley, Ontario Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, today announced the agreement that will allow international students to work off-campus while enrolled at an eligible post-secondary institution in the province.

“This is a landmark agreement with Ontario,” said Minister Volpe. “Off-campus work agreements will enable the considerable number of international students in Ontario to acquire work experience on the labour market, strengthen their ties to local communities and enhance their integration in Canadian society.”

“This agreement will allow international students the ability to participate in work opportunities in our communities and earn the money they need for their studies. It is a fair and reasonable approach that will benefit both the students and our province,” said Minister Bentley.

Before students can apply for an off-campus work permit, the province will have to come to an agreement with each Ontario 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.

“We have over 30,000 international students in our colleges and universities,” said the Honourable Mike Colle, Ontario Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. “This agreement allows students to put their diverse knowledge and experience to work. That’s something that benefits all of us.”

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.

Ineligible international students include exchange students, students enrolled in English or French second language programs, and students who have received awards from the Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship Program, the Government of Canada Awards Program or the Canadian International Development Agency. 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

Rejean Cantlon
Media Relations
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
(416) 954-7868

Government of Ontario

Peter Fitzpatrick
Minister’s Office
Ontario Ministry of Training,
Colleges and Universities
(416) 326-1628

Tanya Blazina
Communications Branch
Ontario Ministry of Training,
Colleges and Universities
(416) 325-2746

Visit the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities Web site: www.edu.gov.on.ca
Visit the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration Web site: www.citizenship.gov.on.ca