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.
-30-
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
