India’s Students Short On Cash After Demonetisation Exercise

Source: Study International

In November 2016, India’s government suddenly declared that all 500- and 1,000-rupee notes no longer held any value, sending citizens across the country scrambling to exchange their now-worthless bills. In the aftermath, university students are finding it difficult to get a hold of the cash they need for daily expenses, such as buying food, printing documents, and getting top-up for their mobile phones.

To view the complete article, visit Study International.

New $4M Canada-India Initiative Looks to Jumpstart New Tech

Source: The Vancouver Sun

IC-IMPACTS, headed by UBC professor Nemy Banthia, is teaming up with India’s Department of Science and Technology, as well as the country’s Biotechnology Department, to provide $4 million for the research projects. Each project, said IC-IMPACTS communications manager Ashish Mohan, features Canadian and Indian researchers and are in later stages of development, ensuring the resulting technology can be brought to market.

For the complete article, visit The Vancouver Sun.

New Dynamic Era of India-Canada Relations

Source: New Delhi Times

Jordan Reeves, Consul General of Canada in Mumbai says that he is upbeat about the rise of Canadian equity investment in India. He further says that Canadian investors are bullish on the Indian economy as is evident from the fact that they have made around $11 billion investment in India in the last year. Canada is also a major collaborator towards the realisation of the skill initiative. In April 2015, during PM Modi’s visit to Canada, education and skills development were identified as priorities. Thirteen MoUs were signed between India’s National Skill Development Council and Canadian colleges and institutes to formalise skills collaboration in various sectors. Modi also agreed to take concrete measures to expand bilateral cooperation in key areas including the economy, trade and investment, civil nuclear cooperation, energy, education and skills development, agriculture, defence and security, science, technology, innovation and space, culture, and people to people tie.

For the full article, visit the New Delhi Times.

IITs Estimate It Will Cost Rs 22,000 Crore to Improve Global Rankings

Source: Indian Express

The HRD Ministry’s ‘Project Vishwajeet’ — aimed at catapulting the IITs to the top league of global academic rankings — could cost the government close to Rs 22,000 crore over five years. Directors of seven IITs met the ministry officials on October 20 and sought Rs 21,870 crore as investment to improve their research output, faculty, infrastructure and international outlook in order to break into the top 100 club of global university rankings by 2018 and top 50 by 2020.

For the complete article, please visit the Indian Express.

Program to Help International Students Engage with Montreal

Source: Journal de Montreal via Academica

Several thousand international students will have newfound access to free cultural activities through a new “passport” program spurred by the city’s universities. The International Student MTL Passport program aims to encourage Montreal’s 28,000 international university students to enjoy the “cultural wealth of the city” by distributing maps and providing the students with free access sites such as the Biodôme, the Botanical Garden, the Insectarium, and the Planetarium. They will also be offered credits to participate in a number of other events at reduced cost. “We want to decompartmentalize the students, get them out of their campuses,” said Nadine Gelly, general manager of the cultural promotion organization La Vitrine, which helped launch the project.

Changes to Immigration Policy Offer Benefits to Students with Canadian Degrees

Source: Canadian Business via Academica

Canada has introduced new changes to its immigration policy that will provide additional advantages to international students with Canadian degrees. The changes award additional points within Canada’s Express Entry system to applicants whose degrees were obtained in Canada. Previously, applicants could earn up to 150 points for their educational qualifications, and the only advantage for those who studied in Canada was not having to prove the equivalency of their degrees. Under the new system, applicants with a Canadian educational credential will get up to 30 additional points. “It’s going to be a boon to international students who have studied here—it’s going to give them a big leg up,” says immigration lawyer Tamara Mosher-Kuczer.

Canada Sees 5.4% Increase in International Students in 2015

Source: Study International

In 2015, Canada increased the number of study permits issued to international students by 5.4%, according to official government data. In a report compiled by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, it was revealed that 125,783 new study permits were granted to international students last year. The Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration also showed that the number of foreign students applying for study permits in the same year had increased by 6.4 percent from the previous year to 187,968.

For the complete article, please visit Study International.

Canada Will Profit By Providing More Opportunities to International Grads

Source: Conference Board of Canada via Academica

Canada must encourage more international students to stay and work in the country if it wants to make the most of their economic potential, according to a new report from the Conference Board of Canada. The report highlights how international students generate up to $10B annually in economic activity and account for 11% of total postsecondary enrolments in Canada. The report argues that Canada would benefit economically by changing immigration policy to help more international students work in the country after graduation. “International students generate billions of dollars of economic activity at Canadian Post-Secondary institutions and in the surrounding communities. They also provide considerable social and cultural value to Canada,” said Conference Board Vice-President, Industry and Business Strategy Michael Bloom. “On the other hand, the great majority of international students do not stay in Canada after their studies and hence do not employ their skills and expertise in our economy.”

UPEI ‘Talking Circles’ Boost International Students’ Confidence

Source: CBC

The University of Prince Edward Island is hosting “talking circles” to help international students gain confidence in their English language skills. The events, held every second Friday, are organized by the International Relations office and the English Academic Preparation program at the university. At each session, they focus on specific subjects so international students can understand English jargon.

For the full article, please visit the CBC.

Firm Releases List of Canada’s Top 50 Research Colleges

Source: Research Infosource via Academica

The firm Research Infosource Inc has released its list of Canada’s Top 50 Research Colleges for 2016. The list ranks Canadian colleges’ research capacity and activities by looking primarily at research income and research intensity per faculty member. Included on the list were CIEC Academic Members: Durham College, Fleming College, Humber College & the British Columbia Institute of Technology.

ACOA, PEI provide $500K to Help UPEI International Students Stay in Province

Source: CBC via Academica

International students at the University of Prince Edward Island will soon have additional support to help them to stay in the province, reports CBC. UPEI has reportedly increased its support to international students over the past year-and-a-half in particular, and has been working with the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and PEI to support students with language training and adapting to life in Canada. ACOA is providing $493,631 under its Business Development Program and PEI is providing $53K through the Department of Workforce and Advanced Learning. International students reportedly make up 22% of UPEI’s full-time student population, a figure that CBC states has been growing steadily in recent years. “This important diversity adds so much in terms of cultural exchange and learnings among all of our students,” said UPEI President Alaa Abd-El-Aziz.