While the whole Canada makes a favorable immigration destination, people often get confused deciding where to live or which city would suit them best! Of course, choosing the right place to live makes one of the most important facets of the immigration process. It comes across as the most important factor when you plan to take your family along with you.
Many of you might have already chosen the Canadian city where you will work and live. Though, here is a little description about Vancouver. Even though this city does not need any introduction, here is what makes this city special and one of the most popular Canadian immigration destinations. There are a number of reasons for which overseas people intend to immigrate to Vancouver.
Vancouver in British Columbia is a very multi-cultural city like most of the Canadian cities, where you would get to see a wide range of cultures and languages spoken. Thousands of immigrants, including students, investors, entrepreneurs from all over the world come to this city and do not want to leave!
Vancouver’s economy is evolving and it holds endless job opportunities for local, as well as overseas workers. Some of the prominent sectors that are generating these opportunities include education, technology, film production, and financial services. The city is North America’s third largest film production location.
Apart from these, Vancouver’s temperate climate is one of the reasons as to why people prefer it as an immigration destination. Not to forget its natural beauty, that comprises mountain rages, forests and coastlines, which offers a multitude of opportunities for outdoor activities like skiing, snowboarding, biking, hiking and walking!
The government of UK has made some changes in the Immigration regulations, to further aid the entry of genuine students in the country. Below are the new amendments implemented under Tier 4 Student Visa. Have a look at them:
If the student applicant is applying under Tier 4 Student Visa in General category to study a course which is not up to a Degree level course, then you will only work for 10 hrs/week.
The minimum level of English course that Tier 4 Student Visa holders can enroll into is level B2 of CEFR.
Applicants who are aged 16 or 17 and are applying under Tier 4 (Child) category, they are entitled to work only for 10hrs/week till the time their term is finished.
Applicants applying for course for six month or less are not allowed to bring their relatives or family members.
For those applying for a course lower than a Degree course won’t have the freedom to allow their dependants to work unless they fulfill the requirements set under Tier 1 or Tier 2 of the PBS.
Further changes would be introduced from April 2010. Students would surely be affected from the recent amendments, but this would ensure the entry of genuine applicants into the country. In addition, the rules would make sure that genuine students get the right time to work part time, in addition to their regular study hours.
Let us face it guys! The crowd is lacking the buzz, the rush for IPL tickets is low and people are not even discussing about IPL3, the way it was being discussed in the first two IPLs!
Okay, let us discuss some of the facets that may come into play in making IPL, a NOT MUCH talked show of the town! Have a look:
The first factor would be the threat of terrorism revolving around one of the biggest sporting events. With the plus point that it is happening in India, the negative point can be that India never lags behind when it comes to unexpected terrorist activities, which may happen anytime, anywhere!
It is happening in March: The most unwanted phase of a year for students! Guys, they face their exams. Will their parents allow them to stick to their TV screens from 4pm to 12am regularly? No!
The ticket prices are hiking every single moment. While the price of one ticket for the Hockey World Cup held in Delhi was as low as 50 bucks, the same may go as high in thousands, especially when you have some of the craziest fans in India, who can kill anyone just to get a glimpse of their favorite cricketers.
We all know that Pakistani players are not participating in the IPL3, but don’t you think that their presence would be missed in the matches? The stupendous batting of Shahid Afridi, the killing bowling of Umar Gul, to name a few, would surely be missed this time!
What next? The marriage between the IPL3 and YouTube may not be seen in a favorable light as not many audiences would show patience while the video is buffering and your favorite player is on the crease! At least, I won’t!
These are some of the factors! Let us see what the future has in store for the fate of IPL3!
Hey Cricket Crazy people! Do you have some more similar instances to share? Feel free to share with us!
Christchurch is on those cities in New Zealand that offers excellent opportunities to students. The best thing about this city is that it has an active lifestyle, apart from beautiful sights for delight. If you people out there contemplating to immigrate to New Zealand for study purposes, you can definitely consider Christchurch, for it has a number of renowned institutions.
Christchurch is the main city in the Canterbury region of New Zealand. Christchurch University and Lincoln University are the two of the most famous educational facilities in the region that offer a wide range of courses and programs. Both these universities provide excellent atmosphere for international students. Christchurch University is located at the edge of the city. This university is one of the most advanced educational facilities in the whole country, with topnotch research amenities and a very friendly campus. You can find its considerable portion of students is from outside New Zealand.
Lincoln University is another famous destination for international students. The main attraction of this university is its relaxed setting and countryside lifestyle, apart from the quality of education. It hosts students from over 60 countries across the globe.
Christchurch is one of the most affordable places in New Zealand. International students take the advantage of this fact and flock to the city. Apart from offering educational facilities, the city provides a great deal of recreational activities, including skiing, hiking and climbing. Because of the fact that it offers scope for many forms of entertainment, such as shopping, dining and sight seeing, Christchurch makes a nice tourist place as well.
Students studying under the F-1 Visa under Optical Practical Training will now enjoy an extended work period of 29 months. The advantage holds for students of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects. Students who have not enrolled themselves in any of the STEM subjects have the freedom to work for only one year.
Optional Practical Training (OPT) is a tenure in which overseas students who have enrolled themselves in their courses for nine months or beyond that can gain work experience related to their work field. These students are not required to get work H-1B visa in order to fulfill their work requirements.
According to James W Herman, a renowned counselor, the OPT facility provides ample opportunities to students to gain ample experience in their fields. The option has assisted thousands of Indian students, especially when it comes to gaining experience in the US. It also provides additional skills linked with the field of students, which further helps them in enhancing their career perspectives.
All overseas FI-Visa holders in the US have the freedom to enroll themselves in Optional Practical Training, as it provides them with perfect opportunity to gain quality work experience, a step closer towards their brilliant career
Stats say that more than 10% of the overseas students in the US enrolled themselves in Optional Practical Training during 2008-2009 and in turn grabbed plenty of benefits out of it.
Overall, it is good news for all those students studying in the US who are planning to study in the US along with gaining work experience!
Recently Aussie leg spinner Shane Warne attended a picnic with some Indians, in an attempt to iron out the creases between India and Australia after the recent racial attacks on foreign students.
The picnic event was held in Melbourne, where the Aussie cricketer and the captain of Rajasthan Royals were flocked by some Indians seeking his autographs. Warnie went on to say that as a Victorian, it is critical for him to maintain the relationships between both the nations.
Earlier, Warne was given the responsibility to ease out the tension (http://blog.abhinav.com/indian-aussie-tension-may-ease-out-courtesy-shane-warne/) between the two nations. Cricket is a game that is widely popular amongst people of both the origins and may act as a perfect source to bring peace, unity and love between Australia and India! The choice is perfect too, as the cricketer holds an equal amount of popularity amongst both Australian and Indian audience!
He said that he is eager to know what the students think about this issue and what their current feelings on this aspect are! He defended Victoria, saying that it is a great city to live in. He added that he simply love India!
Warnie also dined with the students, and assured them that Australia is one of the safest places to live in! Attempts of such kind are desperately needed to mend the relations between both the countries.
The Rajasthan Royals captain will leave for India on 4rth March to take part in IPL3 starting from March 12 onwards!
New Zealand appeals to a wide range of visitors- be it tourists, entrepreneurs or students. A lot has been told and written about the beauty of this country, so now let us focus one of the most important aspects of our lives, that is Education. New Zealand is one of those countries, which is known for offering world-class education in a number of fields. So, if you are contemplating to immigrate for your studies, you have all the reasons to consider the Kiwi land as your destination! Here is why you should study in New Zealand:
There are a lot of things in New Zealand to explore, including its academic options and educational opportunities. Courses are available for college-level students to vocational students to professionals. Apart from academic courses, these universities focus on recreational activities and personal development. Moreover, studying in New Zealand makes a great way to explore the country!
The country is known to have a favorable environment for local as well as international students. In fact, New Zealand is increasingly becoming more popular as compared to other famous study destinations like the US, the UK and Australia. New Zealand welcomes thousands of foreign aspirants each year from all over the world with open arms. The country has overseas students mostly from the UK, the US, Australia, India, South-East Asia, Japan, and North Asia.
That New Zealand has advanced and world-class facilities pertaining to education, students are catered with the kind of education that helps them cope with the global environment.
New Zealand has increasingly been preferred as a study destination by international students over the recent years. Since, it is technically advanced and offers topnotch educational facilities; it makes sense for you to consider the country as one of your study destinations, alongside the US, Australia and the UK.
Those who have the perception that the US, UK and Australia make the best study destinations, let me remind you that there is New Zealand in the race too. The country provides great education opportunities for students, including overseas students. It caters to almost all requirements of students, when it comes to pursuing subjects and courses. This is what that makes New Zealand one of the most appreciated and recognized study destinations in the world. Now, let’s have a look at some of the top educational institutions there:
University of Auckland: This one is often touted as the best educational institution in the Kiwi land. The university offers a number of faculties- Education, Arts, School of Business, Engineering, Law, Medical and Health Sciences, Theology, National Institute of Creative Arts and Industries are a few to name. Aspiring students are needed to clear the entrance test, as well as English proficiency test in order to be able to get into the university. Besides, the students are given admission on the basis of marks.
University of Waikato: A few faculties of this university include, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences; School of Education; School of Maori and Pacific Development; and Waikato Management School. Students are being qualified to study in this university on the basis of marks and language skill in English.
University of Otago: This educational institution offers a wide variety of courses, ranging from Business to Health Sciences; from Humanities to Sciences. Apart from having a good academic background, aspiring students should have good proficiency in English language.
Massey University: Under this university, there are colleges on Creative Arts; Humanities and Social Sciences; Business; and Sciences. Some of the well-known departments include Journalism, Aviation, Food and Nutrition, Marketing, Psychology, Design, Defense, Fine Arts, Language Studies and much more. Like many other universities, the admissions are based on English language proficiency and entrance test.
The Victoria University of Wellington: This famous university offers an array of courses. Overseas students are required to qualify the entrance test, along with English language test- IELTS or TOEFL, whichever is applicable in order to get into any course.
University of Canterbury: This University offers almost every course in all educational aspects. Admissions are based on marks in entrance test, English language proficiency, as well as academic performance in high school.
Lincoln University: Aspiring students must have good command over English skill to be qualified to study in this university. Courses offered by this leading university include Bio-Chemistry; Business Management; Information Technology; Accounting; Communication; Animal Sciences; Engineering; Tourism; Ecology; Law; Environment Studies; Micro-Biology and many more.
Manukau Institute of Technology: Here courses are offered in departments, such as Nursing and Health Sciences; Business; Consumer Services; Education and Social Sciences; Logistics; Engineering; Visual Arts and more.
AUT University: This university with courses in Engineering; Education; Creative Technologies; Communication; Sports and Recreation; Law; Computing and Mathematical Sciences and more caters students from across the globe. Aspirants should have proficiency in English language, apart from meeting academic standards in order to get admission into this university.
These are some of the leading educational institutions in New Zealand. Most of them offer most advanced courses in almost every subject. However, these institutions are known to set higher standards when it comes to English language skill. Thus, apart from having a good academic background, you may need to work on your ability in the said language!
It was the his son-in-law who made the Oz Prime Minister aware of the ongoing series of racial attacks on international students only to make the latter worried about the racial discrimination. On getting updates on the series of stories, Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd was prompt enough to assure overseas students that the Oz government is taking necessary measures to make them feel safe!
The recent cases of racism are indeed a matter of worry for the countries from where the students have flown to Australia in a hope to earn quality education, as well as the Australian government since this is going to affect the image of the country being a safe society. Australia is one of the most famous study destinations in the world, apart from the U.S. and U.K. If cases of racial attacks are not addressed, then there is no doubt the country would suffer a lot on immigration perspective.
Kevin Rudd at a recent forum at Old Parliament House, Canberra announced that both federal government and Victorian government are trying to sort out the issue, thereby improving the safety for international students, especially who work on late night shifts, since the students who work late at nights are mostly found to be attacked by the racists. While Australia has been an open-minded country, the Prime Minister assured that will remain the one in the future! He hopes politicians, community leaders, as well as common people would come together to sort out these issues and help Australia retain the image of being a safe society!
Over the last few years, there have been many instances where Malaysia is witnessing illegal entry of foreigners in order to participate in various kinds of road races, thanks to the organizers! In other words, the race organizers are not adhering to the country’s immigration rules, thereby encouraging illegal participation of athletes from outside Malaysia.
Various business entities are trying to attract these foreigners to participate in sporting activities and races that offer lucrative cash prizes. For these business entities, Africans make the hot target. The participants are offered with sponsorship, accommodation and in return the entities get a considerable percentage of the cash prizes offered!
For the last four years, road races, such as marathons in Malaysia witnessed mostly participants from Africa, say the country’s athletic officials. The officials expressed that initially they thought Africans taking part in the races had a positive impact in the competitions, since they happen to be a challenge for the local talents. With the participation of the efficient athletes the competitions would automatically climb to a different level. However, later they realized that the business groups were not that genuine who started to sponsor even juniors to take part in these activities.
The instances of illegal participation in sporting activities have recently caught the ears of Datuk Abdul Rahman Othman, country’s immigration director-general. He cleared it that if people are in Malaysia on social visit, they are not allowed to take part in any other activity. And if they do so, they are entitled to violation of the country’s immigration rules. However, overseas students are permitted to participate in sport events, but on one condition- their participation must be sponsored by the respective organizations from where they are pursuing their courses!
Mr. Othman urges the country’s athletic associations and other organizers to keep a check on the immigrants’ status. They are further requested to follow the immigration rules and examine the documents of the foreigners before they are allowed to take part in competitions. Violation of immigration rules is serious offence, where people may be punished with imprisonment and heavy fine. Act lawfully and abide by each country’s rules and regulations!
