It is an understandably accepted debate among international, particularly Nepalese, students when it comes to deciding on the two most looked-up-to and prodigious countries that have been offering an unmatched and world-class education to all excellent education seekers from every corner of the world. And Nepalese students have expressed their profound interest in and inclination toward these countries. Furthermore, educational institutions from both countries offer recognizable and diverse program options in a wide array of disciplines and prepare aspirants for a promising academic and professional career.
While both countries are unique and great in their respective ways, prospective students must brainstorm, research, consult, and dig deeper to get the most fascinating aspects before deciding on one of them. Thus, to help one better decide, this article entails the matter of facts about why and how Canada proves to be a better alternative for Nepalese students.
Education systems for post secondary levels:
Canada once used to be taken as the most impenetrable country for international students, and it indeed was in the past years. However, such an example has been flipped lately as the Government of Canada itself has expressed its deep-seated interest in welcoming genuine international students to Canadian educational institutions by offering flexible application procedures and ensuring approval of applications upon meeting the criteria set forth by the Canadian government.
Furthermore, international students have ample opportunities to choose from two and three-year diplomas, advanced diplomas, postgraduate certificates, bachelor’s degrees, master’s degrees in Canada. A keen interest in short but intensive programs such as diplomas and postgraduate certificate programs has been the first choice over the years. On the other hand, Australia also offers diplomas leading to bachelor’s degrees; however, most students are compelled to go for more knowledge-based academic programs such as bachelor’s or master’s degrees. As a result, aspirants must invest more time and financial resources to get a recognized certification to enter the job market. Nevertheless, Canadian educational institutions provide shorter and less expensive academic and industry-oriented programs to international students and prepare them to enter the job market within a short span of time, which is in fact one of the most lucrative aspects of pursuing further education in Canada.
Eligibility Requirements:
Planning to kick start the academic venture in a completely new land stipulates several prerequisites, such as academic scores, English language proficiency, acceptance of academic gaps and backlogs, visa approval ratio, financial requirements, and to name a few. First, educational institutions and immigrants from both countries have their own set of rules, regulations, and policies to determine and scrutinize the eligibility requirements. In this regard, the Canadian side seems to be slightly tougher in terms of academic scores, gaps, and backlogs compared to Australia. Canadian educational institutions and their most diploma and postgraduate programs have a requirement of a 2.0 GPA out of a 4.0 scale to submit the application for the Letter of Acceptance (LOA), and most academic degree programs demand at least a 3.0 GPA or 70% plus to apply, and the chance of approval will be based on the competitiveness of the programs, and number of submitted applications. Nevertheless, Australian institutions have set the academic specifications lower compared to Canadian institutions. On the contrary, these institutions are more illiberal in their academic gaps.
More significantly, Canadian and Australian institutions and visa offices require proof of language proficiency to assure them that the aspirants can successfully complete the chosen field of study. As to this, Canadians are unyielding as they require that the knowledge of the language must be at an advanced level to ensure the aspirants will not come across any complexities in transitioning through and wrapping up the programs and suit the best professional career one wishes to pursue. Having said that, Australians have modest flexibility when it comes to proving their command of the language. Even though Canadians have set the bar higher for it, it is advisable to go for Canada since improving one’s language competence for academic ventures will ultimately open limitless avenues for academic and professional prosperity.
In reference to the financial stipulations for educational purposes and as a part of visa applications, both countries vary, and the arrangements must be made accordingly. For Canadian student visa applicants, the sum amount for a one-year program for a diploma and postgraduate certificate comes in between CAD 16,000 and 19,000; however, exceptions may apply, and the total living expenses on average stand at CAD 12,000 annually. Alternatively, Australia has a distinctly diverse range of tuition fees and other costs. And when it comes to making a comparison between these countries, Canada has reasonably affordable expenses and smoother arrangements for a visa application. And taking the latter side seems to be an inexpensive and slightly hassle-free application process for sorting out overall paperwork.
Prospects of long-term settlement:
Undoubtedly, both countries have immigration-friendly laws, rules, and policies to retain qualified and eligible candidates to drive the evolving and dynamic economies of these nations. However, Australia seems to be adamant about providing a pathway to permanent residency as it is implementing and trying to diversify its workforce to other suburb regions so the Australian economy can make a balanced contribution. Nevertheless, candidates try to settle in and around urban areas where all the facilities are accessible.
Alternatively, Canada is introducing more open-ended immigration policies to retain qualified candidates and create the most culturally, ethnically, linguistically, and economically diverse nation in the world. To be more specific, international students who graduated from one of the designated learning institutions (DLI) always have the upper hand when applying for permanent residency.
As a graduate from a Canadian institution, it opens a wide array of pathway programs to facilitate a smooth transition into Canadian communities. Moreover, the foundation rules state that students must be a graduate of a DLI with at least 8 months of study duration, or preferably 2 years. Upon completing the chosen field of study, they will receive 8 months to up to 3 years of a Post-graduation Work Permit (PGWP) to be employed on a full-time basis before they become eligible to apply for the PR. It is strongly advisable that candidates have received work experience in one of these four categories: TEER, which stands for Training, Education, Experience, and Responsibility (0, 1, 2, 3, 4). Even though the TEER consists of six categories identified from 0-5, the categories between 0 and 3 are highly skilled, and 4 and 5 are considered low-skilled work. Besides these, several other factors, such as age, length of experience, language proficiency in English and French, job offers from a Canadian employer, level of education, and transferable skills, magnify the chance of obtaining Canadian PR with ease.
After weighing up a lot of factors in both countries, Canada is at the forefront of preferred, more convincing, and more promising in terms of studying and settling. As an international student, one must weigh up the different aspects and pros and cons of landing in a country that one ultimately calls “the second home,” and from the first step to the ultimate settling mindset, everything must be scrutinized and analyzed in proper ways so there won’t be any difficulties or unbearable challenges in a land away from home.
Making up your mind to study abroad itself is the first step toward making the big decision, and for one’s decision not to fail, aspirants unquestionably require detailed and up-to-date information. The expert team from the International Career Counseling Centre (ICCC) is there to illuminate ways for each one of you, and its commitment to providing professionally driven services with the utmost integrity and accountability sets the ICCC apart from the rest. It is the place where you are provided with an end-to-end service, from the study visa application to the permanent residency application. The exciting and assured fact about the ICCC is that it is directly guided and monitored by the Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC), who is an authorized professional to represent any sort of immigration-related case on behalf of the candidate. Thus, without second thought, ICCC could be the way out to solving riddles for a better tomorrow, both academically and professionally.
