Speaking notes for The Honourable Jason Kenney, P.C., M.P. Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism

To announce the expansion of the Student Partners Program to China
Beijing, China, September 14, 2010

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Good morning/afternoon,

As Prime Minister Stephen Harper said when he visited last year, Canada is committed to building a strong relationship with China.

During Prime Minister Harper’s visit, China granted us Approved Destination Status (ADS). ADS will enable our countries to continue to build strong relations. It will increase the flow of tourists, students, and businesspeople between both countries.

Canada and China also enjoy an active working relationship in international fora, such as the UN, APEC, and WTO.

Strong people-to-people ties also exist between us: over 1.3 million people of Chinese descent live in Canada. China has actually been Canada’s top source country since 2008 and we continue to welcome more and more people from China every year.

In 2009, China was the top source country for international students who came to Canada. As well, almost 50,000 students from China resided in Canada last year.

Canada and China share a mutual regard for higher education and both countries benefit from the Chinese students who come to Canada to continue their studies every year.

Students from China contribute both financially and culturally to the communities and institutions where they study. They bring with them new ideas and experiences, as well as diverse perspectives to Canadian classrooms.

In exchange, students from China are able to gain invaluable experiences that last them a lifetime, learning about another culture and country while they gain useful knowledge so that they can contribute positively to society.

The cultural exchange of young minds also helps build stronger relations between our two countries by establishing ties between our future leaders.

For these reasons, the Government of Canada wants to increase the number of Chinese students in Canadian colleges.

Today, I’m here to launch a pilot project - the Student Partners Program.

This program, developed by Citizenship and Immigration Canada and the Association of Canadian Community Colleges, will help increase the number of student applications from China and improve the services offered to these prospective students.

As always, if medical checks have been completed before the application is submitted, the applications will be processed within two weeks.

This pilot program is based on the highly successful Student Partners Program introduced in India last year. In the first year of its implementation, the number of Indian students studying in Canada jumped from just over 11,000 in 2008 to nearly 19,000 in 2009 – that’s quite impressive. And we expect the program will have excellent results here as well.

The Association of Canadian Community Colleges offers many outstanding programs to train young Canadians and their fellow students from around the world.

International students in Canada also have many opportunities to work on and off campus while they study. This means that many students are developing additional skills and gaining knowledge by being part of the workforce.

When these students finish their studies, they may want to work in Canada by applying for a Post-Graduation Work Permit. Our government removed restrictions on the types of jobs they can get and where they can work, and we’ve made their work permits valid for a longer period of time—up to three years.

Graduates may also decide to apply to immigrate under the Canada Experience Class, a unique immigration program that allows international students the opportunity to apply to stay permanently and eventually become Canadian citizens.

To qualify under the Canadian Experience Class, international students must first obtain a diploma or degree, and must work in Canada for one year following graduation. Applicants must also have proficiency in English or French.

Thanks to Canadian community colleges and to the skills, knowledge and innovative ideas that students share with us and each other—along with their drive to succeed—these students are having a positive influence on the economic and cultural life of both our countries.

The Student Partners Program benefits both our countries and those who participate in it.

We look forward to welcoming more Chinese students to Canadian colleges in the years to come.

Thank you.