Foreign grad students can work in their fields
By Derek Sankey, For The Calgary Herald January 21, 2012

Recent changes to limited student visas for foreign masters and PhD students now allow them to find work in their respective fields while completing their postgraduate degrees - a change that some companies are using as a recruitment tool - eliminating restrictions on working off campus in their chosen professions.

Foreign post-grad students such as PhDs typically receive about three or four years of funding, although it can take longer before they defend their thesis and complete their degrees. Many return home to find work while writing their theses before coming back to Canada to defend them and complete their education.

Over the past two years, those restrictions have been quietly lifted, so they can now work up to 20 hours in a job related to their education while in Canada. After they complete it, the Canadian government grants them a threeyear work visa - which helps retain Canadian-educated foreign workers - and allows them to transition into a full-time job in their fields.


Read the whole article...