Government immigration policy was a recurrent theme at this year’s Languages Canada conference in Vancouver. Many said it threatened the gains made by the association over the last few years, as well as opportunities posed by the new national strategy on international education to be unveiled in June. Government immigration policy was a recurrent theme at this year’s
Languages Canada conference in Vancouver. Many said it threatened the gains made by the association over the last few years, as well as opportunities posed by the new national strategy on international education to be unveiled in June.
During the three-day event, attended by 145 members and 25 exhibitors, delegates vented at the continuing high rates of student visa refusals and delays, which appear to be disproportionately hitting the private sector.
“I don’t think people think of our sector when planning these national strategies,” said one delegate. “Organisations like Languages Canada are constantly having to remind the decision makers that we exist. Whether they’ll be successful is too early to tell.”
“All of us are losing money because of an inability to receive students,” said David Diplock, a director at Languages Canada, who promised greater association focus on the matter in 2012-13.
[caption id="attachment_5793" align="alignleft" width="300"]
Peralta, left, with Calum MacKechnie, President of Languages Canada[/caption]
In a number of sessions it was suggested that abuse of Canada’s generous rights for refugees had let to a “gatekeeper approach” by Canadian Immigration and Citizenship (CIC), where the onus was on keeping foreigners out.
The concerns linger as Languages Canada begins to make real advances in uniting its public and private base, and gains greater government recognition for the sector as a whole after years of government oversight.
During the conference, executive director Gonazalo Peralta pointed to the key role the association has been playing in the Consortium – a sector-wide body which is being consulted in the formulation of the new national
international education strategy. The strategy is tipped to elevate Canada’s status as a destination and could have significant ramifications for the language sector.
“We are no longer talking about ‘the language sector’ or ‘the university sector’"
“We are no longer talking about ‘the language sector’ or ‘the university sector’... We’re talking about what we can do together,” Peralta said. “Presenting a united front has given us so much more bang for our dollar and weight.”
Other gains have included increased visibility in foreign markets thanks to a series of successful trade missions and tie-ups, such as the
deal with Russian association AREA. Languages Canada has also helped schools in all but one province (Ontario) unite under the
Imagine Canada brand – a government effort to promote Canada as a study destination with reach in 140 countries.
While delegates were divided over whether the new strategy would make a difference to the sector, early signs show that it will broach immigration, although not necessarily through changes to legislation.
Languages Canada vice president Sharon Curl said: “All sectors are talking about immigration as a priority, and we’ve been told that whatever is decided has to be sector-wide.” She said there has been a strong push for “correct implementation” of current visa policies in the plan. “Even if they don’t change the rules, if we get more training and transparency, more visa application centres (VACs) and faster processing times we’ll see improvements. I’m optimistic.”
Gonzalo Peralta is hopeful whether or not the national strategy is effective
Gonzalo Peralta told
The PIE News he is hopeful for Languages Canada whether or not the national strategy is effective. “We’re going to go ahead and grow and deepen. We’re not sitting back and waiting for a government handout... We’re making sure we’re not dependent on them.”
Other conference sessions included Samuel Vetrak, StudentMarketing, on successful international education marketing techniques, and ICEF on the British Council’s
Why students use agents report, slanted for a Canadian audience. Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT) also spoke, pledging continued support for schools seeking new international markets through measures such as its
edu-Canada pro portal.
Government immigration policy was a recurrent theme at this year’s Languages Canada conference in Vancouver. Many said it threatened the gains made by the association over the last few years, as well as opportunities posed by the new national strategy on international education to be unveiled in June.
During the three-day event, attended by 145 members and 25 exhibitors, delegates vented at the continuing high rates of student visa refusals and delays, which appear to be disproportionately hitting the private sector.
“I don’t think people think of our sector when planning these national strategies,” said one delegate. “Organisations like Languages Canada are constantly having to remind the decision makers that we exist. Whether they’ll be successful is too early to tell.”
“All of us are losing money because of an inability to receive students,” said David Diplock, a director at Languages Canada, who promised greater association focus on the matter in 2012-13.
Peralta, left, with Calum MacKechnie, President of Languages Canada
In a number of sessions it was suggested that abuse of Canada’s generous rights for refugees had let to a “gatekeeper approach” by Canadian Immigration and Citizenship (CIC), where the onus was on keeping foreigners out.
The concerns linger as Languages Canada begins to make real advances in uniting its public and private base, and gains greater government recognition for the sector as a whole after years of government oversight.
During the conference, executive director Gonazalo Peralta pointed to the key role the association has been playing in the Consortium – a sector-wide body which is being consulted in the formulation of the new national international education strategy. The strategy is tipped to elevate Canada’s status as a destination and could have significant ramifications for the language sector.
“We are no longer talking about ‘the language sector’ or ‘the university sector’”
“We are no longer talking about ‘the language sector’ or ‘the university sector’… We’re talking about what we can do together,” Peralta said. “Presenting a united front has given us so much more bang for our dollar and weight.”
Other gains have included increased visibility in foreign markets thanks to a series of successful trade missions and tie-ups, such as the deal with Russian association AREA. Languages Canada has also helped schools in all but one province (Ontario) unite under the Imagine Canada brand – a government effort to promote Canada as a study destination with reach in 140 countries.
While delegates were divided over whether the new strategy would make a difference to the sector, early signs show that it will broach immigration, although not necessarily through changes to legislation.
Languages Canada vice president Sharon Curl said: “All sectors are talking about immigration as a priority, and we’ve been told that whatever is decided has to be sector-wide.” She said there has been a strong push for “correct implementation” of current visa policies in the plan. “Even if they don’t change the rules, if we get more training and transparency, more visa application centres (VACs) and faster processing times we’ll see improvements. I’m optimistic.”
Gonzalo Peralta is hopeful whether or not the national strategy is effective
Gonzalo Peralta told The PIE News he is hopeful for Languages Canada whether or not the national strategy is effective. “We’re going to go ahead and grow and deepen. We’re not sitting back and waiting for a government handout… We’re making sure we’re not dependent on them.”
Other conference sessions included Samuel Vetrak, StudentMarketing, on successful international education marketing techniques, and ICEF on the British Council’s Why students use agents report, slanted for a Canadian audience. Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT) also spoke, pledging continued support for schools seeking new international markets through measures such as its edu-Canada pro portal.
