All That International Students Need to Know About Visa, Work and Immigration for Canada

Every year thousands of students across the globe choose Canada to pursue their further education and build a future. There are permanent citizenship and immigration available for international students graduating from post-secondary programs in Canada.

Let's learn more about the visa requirement, work flexibility and immigration terms for students in Canada.

Study Permit is Required

When you wish to pursue further studies in Canada - whether it is an academic, vocational or professional qualification, you need a study permit before you land in Canada. Students applying for a short term or six months program don’t need a permit.

Prior to applying for a study permit, you are required to be accepted at a Canadian educational institution. The school, college or university that selects you will send an acceptance letter that needs to be showed to get the permit. The letter will be necessary to apply for a student permit. You may also take the help of immigration lawyer to ensure that you take the right steps when you apply for student permit.

Where to Apply for the Study Permit?

You need to apply for a study permit from the visa office in your region or country you live. Documents including the identity proof, letter of acceptance and proof that you have sufficient funds to pursue further studies in Canada are required to be submitted along with the permit application.

Working While Studying

A valid study permit makes a student eligible to work temporarily in Canada. You may be allowed to work on the campus if you have a valid student permit. You may work for the educational institution or a private business located in the campus premises.

To work off campus, students need to have a work permit. They are allowed to work 20 hours per week under the Off-campus Work Permit Program and full-time during the scheduled winter, summer and spring breaks.

Permanent Stay in Canada

In most of the cases, students don't need to leave Canada if they wish stay there permanently. Here are a few conditions that you need to fulfill to be able to stay in Canada:

•         A student who has acquired a post-secondary degree from Canadian college or university and has a minimum one year of work experience in Canada in a technical, managerial, professional or occupation grade is eligible to  stay in Canada.
•         A student with skills and experience that are adequate for the labor market needs of Canada may qualify for the permanent resident status.
•         Some of the Canadian provinces and territories are allowed to nominate the immigrants on the basis of their skills, work experience and education.

This is basic yet helpful information that students planning to move to Canada for further studies need to know.  More details about the process to obtain visa and apply for permanent resident status are available on the website of Government of Canada.

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Canada: Practices to avoid as an immigrant

Canada has a complex legal system, especially for immigrants. If you keep yourself updated with the recent happenings, you’ll be aware of all the fuss regarding Bill C-24. Another incident that may keep you in check is that of two Nigerian students who were deported as soon as they got entangled in an illegal job. Canadians are very thorough when it comes to their laws.

So, if you’re planning to visit or immigrate to Canada, you must carry a checklist of what not to do in Canada and what is considered as a criminal offense. Apart from that, it’s best to be in touch with criminal defense lawyers in such a case. However, if your immigration services offer criminal defense lawyers, they will make a point to inform you of the not-to-do list.

List of criminal offenses in Canada:

Driving offense:

If you’re in Canada, then you must know that dangerous driving, drunk driving, failing to stop at the scene of an accident or refusing an alcohol test are categorized as criminal offenses. If any immigrant is found at the scene of a crime, there’s one punishment – deportation!

Dishonesty:

This list is inclusive of theft, possession of stolen property, fraud, credit card fraud, robbery (with or without firearms) and extortion. Most of these acts have penalty fines while robbery and extortion with a firearm has a minimum penalty of 4 years imprisonment.

Threats or Violence:

It involves any threat to cause death or harm, assault, criminal harassment, assaulting an officer or resisting arrest, sexual assault of any kind or assault causing harm to the body. All of these crimes offer imprisonment to criminals along with penalty fines.

Drug Charges:

Possession of any kind of drugs such as Marijuana, hashish, cocaine, heroin or LSD is considered an offense. Trafficking, cultivation, production or importing can cause life imprisonment for offenders. It also offers penalty fines.

Offense against Law

Offense against law and justice is considered a criminal offense and includes public mischief, failing to comply with a bail or probation order, failing to attend court, impersonating a police officer, obstructing justice and perjury. All of these offenses have a penalty of $5,000 fines and a maximum penalty of 14 years imprisonment.

These were some of the points you need to remember when immigrating to Canada. An immigration service that also offers criminal defense lawyers can keep you updated about the criminal offenses in Canada. If you’re unable to find someone, search online and go through the website carefully. Go through their services in detail and choose a professional immigration service. A reliable and professional immigration service will give you detailed information so opt for criminal defense lawyers also providing immigration services now!

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Know the Ins and Outs of Divorce Cases in Canada

Nowadays, marriage of most people is disintegrating, and divorce rates are very high. The decision of divorce is very difficult to take as it involves a lot of emotions. The couple has to decide on many important matters, such as child custody, child support, alimony, visitation and lot more. Laws regarding divorce vary from country to country, and Canada is somewhat different from other countries when it comes to separation.

People do face challenges while dealing with their divorce, but having an insight into the laws and the legal steps to take can ease their concerns. That is why you need the services of a family lawyer in Calgary to go ahead confidently with your divorce process. A competent lawyer can offer results-oriented and effective legal representation that you badly need.

Some information and facts pertaining to separations in Canada

Given below is some important information that will clear your misconceptions regarding separation. It will also help you get a better insight into separation agreement and what it should cover:

One complete year separation period

The couple must complete one year of separation so as to file for divorce in Canada. You can go ahead with the application process from the day you parted ways. However, the court will not concede your divorce until you complete a full one year of separation period.

Separation agreement
A separation agreement is a contract that the couple needs to sign to legally declare their separation. The contract addresses the rights of each party on various aspects, such as child custody, debts, and child support. The lawyer leaves the decision on each individual couple to get a written copy of their separation agreement. The written proof is essential because it would be difficult to prove any agreements made by the couple verbally. Most preferably, a separation agreement should be drafted by a lawyer.

Drafting of the separation agreement

A separation agreement should be drafted very meticulously as courts give more preference to it and if they found anything irrational, they will reject it.

When it is about dealing with separation agreement, you should always keep your eyes open. Just be sure that the judges do not make any changes to spousal support terms or property division. This is the reason why you should have sound knowledge about your legal rights so that you are able to confidently sign a separation agreement knowing all its terms.

You may come across a situation where you and your spouse are disagreeing on some point mentioned in a separation agreement. Therefore, it is always a wise decision to hire a lawyer to resolve the issue. You can contact an experienced family lawyer in Calgary who deals with a wide range of cases pertaining to family law.

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