Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has expanded the range of accepted English language tests for the Student Direct Stream, causing the shares of previous monopolisers IDP to plummet.

Previously, the Canadian government only accepted IDP Education’s IELTS but the move means Prometric’s CELPIP General and CAEL, along with Pearson PTE Academic and TOEFL iBT Test will also be accepted.

“The changes bring Canada in line with the other key markets which are all competitive from an English language testing perspective,” a spokesperson for IDP told The PIE.

Following the news, it was reported that the Australian international education giant’s shares fell 16%, down $4.11 to $21.71.

This translated to $1.14 billion in sharemarket capitalisation vanishing, the Financial Review reported.

However, IDP told The PIE it is “confident that IELTS will maintain its leadership position in a sector that plays an important role for international education and global mobility”.

“IELTS has faced changes in the testing landscape many times with government’s periodically adjusting which tests they recognise. We’ve been delivering IELTS tests for 35 years, and IELTS continues to be the test trusted by governments to assess English language proficiency,” the spokesperson continued.

It is recognised by more than 11,000 organisations, “provides unique flexibility for test takers with multiple modes of delivery and is widely available with the largest distribution network”, they added.

“We welcome the changes to the Student Direct Stream and look forward to supporting more students who wish to live, work, and study in Canada with our CAEL and CELPIP – General tests,” said Michael Holaday, vice president of business development at Prometric.

“These products were developed right here in Canada and have already been an integral part of many people’s immigration and study plans.”

ETS is “thrilled to be unlocking more opportunities for students to access one of the world’s most desirable study abroad destinations”, said Rohit Sharma, senior vice president of Global Higher Education and Workskills.

“Not only will the addition of TOEFL benefit the hundreds of thousands of students who take advantage of the SDS route each year, but institutions can feel confident knowing that they can access a wider pool of applicants who can demonstrate their skills with the premier test of English-language proficiency,” Sharma added.

In 2022, Canada reached an all-time high of number of international students. As of the end of October 2022, IRCC processed over 750,300 study permit applications during the 2022 calendar year, an increase on 590,000 applications processed in the previous year.

“Canada is a great place to be a student – fantastic colleges, beautiful scenery, exciting culture and nightlife,” said Andy Bird, CEO, Pearson.

“With PTE Academic now recognised for SDS purposes, I’m delighted that Pearson can help even more test takers achieve their dream of studying there.

“This recognition comes hot on the heels of PTE Core being approved for Canadian economic migration purposes earlier this year and reflects our determination to make PTE the test of choice for everybody wanting to live, work or study abroad.”

The new test providers will be accepted from August 10, 2023.

The IRCC’s decision is not expected to have a material impact on the company’s FY23 revenue or earnings

Launched in 2018, the SDS offers expedited processing of study permits for students who are legal residents from specific eligible countries; Antigua and Barbuda, Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, India, Morocco, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Senegal, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago and Vietnam.

IRCC processes most SDS applications within 20 days if eligibility requirements are met, which includes a purchase of a Guaranteed Investment Certificate – a CAN$10,000 deposit in a bank account in Canada which guarantees a rate of return over a fixed period of time, among other criteria.

Some commentators have taken to social media to discuss the significance of the decision for IDP and its competitors.

“On the one hand, this is overdone. There is no way that language tests for Canadian SDS visas account for 16% of IDP’s profits, and the analyst calls on this are over-stated,” said Edward Slade, managing director, Schoolhouse Solutions in a LinkedIn post.

“However, there is no doubt that IDP is losing market share across all of its businesses. Students want a language test they can take from their desk, online, anytime, with instant results. Duolingo provides that at a 70% lower price than IELTS and is now accepted by 4,000 institutions, including Go8 and Russell Group.

“IDP’s other key driver, agency, will also be under pressure. Universities are tired of paying away 30% of tuition fees to networks of marketing agents. In an age where online direct application is simple, top students are increasingly confident that they can apply without outside help.

“The landscape is changing, and while IDP remains a great business, maybe it doesn’t deserve a rating of over 6x forward revenues.”

Nishidhar Reddy, president, Association of Australian Education Representatives in India, said the association “welcomes the acceptance of other English tests by IRCC’s for the Student Direct Stream for Canada”.

“While this is for Canada and since Australia already accepts PTE and TOEFL, the students always preferred a test that is accepted across all destinations. Since both PTE and TOEFL are computer based with multiple centres all across India and they issue quick results, it’s a real advantage.

“The students have more options now,” added Reddy.

The post Canada: IRCC expands range of accepted SDS English tests appeared first on The PIE News.

Caroline Gear started her career at the International Language Institute of Massachusetts hot off the heels from a spell in Spain. Finding it in the yellow pages, she fell in love with its mission – not just language learning, intercultural awareness and understanding.

In a relatively cozy corner of Massachusetts, which houses prestigious universities like Harvard, MIT, Northeastern University and Boston College, ILI – as Gear affectionately refers to it – lauds itself as a mini powerhouse of both English and world language learning.

While an intensive English program is at the core of the language school’s roster, it also teaches Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and even Russian.

“Right now, we have 113 students from 30 different countries,” Gear tells The PIE.

But Gear’s ILI career also comes with an interesting add-on. The school’s been around 38 years, and Gear’s been there 36 – but not long ago, she began to turn the tables for the school and herself – by branching out into an agency.

“I’ve gotten to know plenty of other schools and I’m thinking, ‘I’m meeting all these agents and they’re sending students or clients to all these schools’, and I thought, why couldn’t we do the same thing?

“We started, little by little, working with some of the schools,” she says. And as we speak, Gear gestures to the halls at the IALC conference in Dublin. “Now we’re here for the first time as agents as well as a school.”

She tells of the students who study in the foreign language classes at ILI – who are most certainly interested in an experience further afield than Massachusetts.

“One of our students has gone to three different schools, another has gone back to the same school three times, so we’re excited. We’re really beginning to love our partnership with these other schools.

“I think that people that love languages know that they’re lifelong learners, and that you’re not going to just learn it immediately.”

“Right now, we have 113 students from 30 different countries”

Her own love of languages stems from a life spent as a lifelong learner herself. Gear studied French for four years, yet claims she doesn’t speak it. However, her trip to Peru, where she learned Spanish, was much more successful, she recalls.

“I got to understand how language should be learned through context. I was in Piura, and the first week I was there was the Fiesta de Independencia. I took a phrasebook and a dictionary and because I didn’t speak a word of Spanish. But one thing I learned very quickly is that it didn’t help me because if you’re trying to look things up word by word to explain something, you lose your audience very quickly.

“So I learned to just immerse myself and learn through context,” she said.

That said, she still advocates heavily for actual language courses, but maintains that immersion is the most ideal scenario.

Gear applied the idea of context to the bulk of her classes, encouraging them to speak more than anything else, dropping her students into the deep end, and it works a charm.

While Gear still teaches, she is also a heavy hitter as a sector advocate. While the US was waist-deep in a global pandemic, she took over as EnglishUSA’s president.

“We did a lot of work via Zoom, but the people on the board of English USA are incredibly committed.

“People that love languages know that they’re lifelong learners”

“It was an amazing professional development experience honestly, and you know that English USA is made up of both private proprietary schools as well as university based.

“It brings a richness of different ways of looking at how programs are run,” she posits.

While she’s no longer president as of 2022, she is still an active member – and is encouraged by a project that is in the works with BONARD to procure data on intensive English language courses – something that hasn’t been tracked specifically before.

“We’re excited about it because we’re finally going to get some data that we can see and can use,” Gear says. While technically also an agent herself, she also advocates for using them in the language sector.

“We’re a hidden gem – we’re not in that list of main destinations, where we are in Northampton,” she says. “So we also need agents out there, just to tell folks!”

The post Caroline Gear, ILI Massachusetts, US appeared first on The PIE News.

An Indian student has claimed she was sexually assaulted while working at a Domino’s pizza store in Toronto, Canada.

The student recently posted a video on TikTok saying that the assault took place while she was working at the Domino’s store which is located at 478 Yonge St. in Toronto.

“Hey guys, can you see the store behind me?  I used to work here,” the student said, naming the member of staff who allegedly assaulted her.

“He sexually assaulted me here. I have complained to the management, and no one ever took any action,” the student added.

“I’m just making this video so that everyone should know, all the girls that are coming to study here in Toronto, Canada, should know that there are people around you like this and be aware of them, and I still did not get any justice, so I’m fighting for that.”

“I have complained to the management, and no one ever took any action”

The PIE News contacted Domino’s which said it had been made aware of the allegations pertaining to one of its franchised locations.

“While this is a private matter that is being looked into, the appropriate parties have been contacted,” a spokesperson from Domino’s told The PIE.

Reports have highlighted recently how some international students have felt afraid to report sexual assault.

Earlier this year, CBC reported that the president of Cape Breton University’s students’ union had claimed some international students were not reporting inappropriate sexual behaviour because they worried it would hurt their chances of staying in Canada.

Damanpreet Singh said at least two young women have approached him about being sexually assaulted or sexually harassed.

Singh said that international students should know that speaking out about inappropriate sexual behaviour such as sexual assault, or any other crimes, would not put them in jeopardy.

Those who have been the victim of sexual assault around the Toronto area can reach out to the Ontario Network of Sexual Assault/ Domestic Violence Treatment Centres.

The post Toronto: sexually assaulted during work at Domino’s appeared first on The PIE News.

An ongoing marking boycott could prevent international students from staying in the UK once they graduate, a leading university has warned. 

In a joint statement, Cambridge University and the Cambridge branch of the University and College Union, warned that academic strikes could mean that international students are unable to apply for post-study graduate visas on completion of their course. 

“It is regrettable that the national pay and conditions dispute has reached a point whereby a marking and assessment boycott has been called,” the statement reads. “Very sadly, and as things stand, it is likely to have a significant impact on students at Cambridge, and across the country.”

The UCU’s marking and assessment boycott started in April as part of a dispute over pay, and has seen staff who are members of the union refusing to mark assignments, invigilate exams and set assessment questions, among other strike action. 

Some students have been told their already-completed dissertations may not be marked. 

International students, who have to meet certain academic requirements to fulfil their visa conditions, face even greater uncertainty. The PIE spoke to some of these students, who wish to remain anonymous. 

One student from Saudi Arabia, who receives sponsorship from the Saudi government, said the boycott could complicate his scholarship. 

He is required to report his grades to his sponsor on the day they come out, which is also the day his scholarship ends, but the marking boycott could delay this. 

“It is not easy to explain this situation to my sponsor”

“Failing to provide the grades before that specified date could cause me to miss out on some payments that I’m entitled to for successfully graduating within the specified period,” he said. 

“Also, delaying the grades could lead the sponsor to believe that the delay was caused by me, which would lower my chances of getting a scholarship for the MSc degree I planned. 

“Finally, it is not easy to explain this situation to my sponsor, they have a lot of regulations and rules and making an exception is difficult.”

“I feel betrayed,” he said, adding that he no longer wishes to pursue an MSc in the UK.

Another international PHD student said her annual progress review, which doctoral students attend at the end of the academic year, had been put on hold because of the strikes. 

“What technically that means is that you can’t advance,” she said, adding that APRs are meant to be completed in June. She was unsure what happens if it does not take place by then and whether she would still technically be a student and eligible to receive a stipend. The university has not clarified this with students. 

“I’m kind of angry,” she said, adding that she supported the strikes and felt the university should do more to resolve them. 

Other students said they were concerned about their ability to apply for a post-graduate visa if their grades or graduation are delayed. 

The issue was discussed in Scottish parliament on May 18. Graeme Dey, SNP minister for Higher and Further Education, said universities are “putting in place appropriate mitigations to minimise disruption to studies”.

“I would expect that to include mitigations for international students, which are currently being worked up,” he added. 

Multiple universities have said they have put mitigations in place to minimise disruption to students, including awarding marks based on students’ previous assessments.

The post UK marking boycott could jeopardise graduate visa applications appeared first on The PIE News.

Ireland’s Technological University of the Shannon has opened a Student Liaison Office in Lagos, Nigeria, which it will use to coordinate recruitment and placement of students from the country as well as from the larger Sub-Saharan Africa region.

In what could be the beginning for a major push for students from Africa’s most populous country and from the region in general, the university said the opening of the office was the culmination of efforts to develop ties with African countries.

The office is an addition to similar ones it operated in India, Malaysia, and China, ahead of future expansion in Latin America.

It will also extend a “direct line” of assistance and support to students, parents and families of students wishing to study at any of its six campuses in Ireland.

“TUS has been working towards developing relationships with African countries for the past six years and the opening of our Student Liaison Office in Lagos is a significant step in further strengthening these bonds,” president of TUS Vincent Cunnane said.

“We are committed to expanding relationships with our global partners to attract international students and researchers to TUS as well as offering international opportunities to our students, staff and researchers,” he added.

The Lagos branch will also provide a base for Irish students and lecturers who wish to work with African universities, added Donnacha McNamara, TUS vice president International.

“The TUS Africa Student Liaison Office will also offer career and employability support to students who wish to return to Nigeria for employment. This creates a fully circular support system that allows incoming and outgoing graduates to interact with both TUS Ireland and TUS Nigeria, facilitating their engagement and enhancing opportunities,” he noted.

“The office will also offer career and employability support to students who wish to return to Nigeria for employment”

The university he emphasised planned to extend its footprint in Europe as well, in collaboration with its European partners in the Regional University Network.

The Lagos office opens doors to a multitude of prospects for African students, empowering them with increased support, tailored resources, a “robust network of like-minded individuals, ensuring “exceptional educational experiences”, and fostering lifelong connections that extend beyond graduation, said Ufuoma Stella Oyovwikefe Sub-Saharan Africa manager.

Ireland presents an “exceptional opportunity” for students seeking to pursue their studies abroad, and as the largest English-speaking country within the European Union, it offers a world-renowned education system which is globally recognised, she added.

“Moreover, Ireland proudly ranks among the top 10 safest countries worldwide, ensuring a secure and welcoming environment for students,” the manager told PIE News.

Another advantage is Ireland’s employment prospects, being home to numerous globally-traded multinational companies, spanning diverse industries including technology, science, research, business, and engineering, she explained.

“This translates into a wealth of job opportunities for graduates across these fields. Notably, the Midwest and Midland regions of Ireland, where TUS is strategically situated, showcase a particularly robust concentration of these successful enterprises and is why the TUS graduate employment statistics are one of the highest in the country,” she said.

In addition, international students are eligible for favourable post-study visa options and part-time work opportunities during studies.

Those complete a masters degree can get a post-study permit for up to 24 months, while those completing a bachelors degree can obtain a visa valid for 12 months, and in-study work means students can support themselves financially and gain practical work experience alongside their studies.

The university has a total of 15,000 students including 170 Africans, while on the other hand, in 2021 there were 32,000 international students in Ireland.

African student numbers increased by 61% between 2018 and 2021, from 800 in 2018 to 1,300 students in 2020.

The post Ireland’s TUS new office targets African students appeared first on The PIE News.

Finland has long been an attractive alternative to the major study destinations for international students.

After being voted the happiest country in the world six years in a row, it’s got quite a bit to show for itself – and a destination that thousands of students across Europe and the world are beginning to flock to each year.

Numbers are recovering after the pandemic, with some universities overwhelmed with applications and the government even having issues with a visa processing bottleneck in the 2022 intake. 

However, one issue that has been noted is acclimatisation. Students studying in Finland generally have to learn English to study, but they have to adapt to a distinctly nordic way of life.

While Finland has its attractions, despite growing numbers of students from India especially, almost half consider leaving the country after they’ve finished their studies.

While there is the usual IELTs testing, and limitless articles offering tips on moving to Finland, Harri Suominen, the founder of AsiaExchange – which offers a myriad of study programs to Asia – and Edunation, which recruits students into Finnish institutions, said students needed more help getting used to university life in Finland. 

“Two years ago during the pandemic, we decided that we need to do things differently,” Suominen tells The PIE. 

Edunation’s Pathway to Finland program, which was set up in 2021, saw a record 279 students in its last iteration, and is seeing demand for an expanded Europe track.

It’s had four cycles online since the beginning of 2021. In its fifth iteration, Spring 2023, it’s hosted 279 students. For the first time, some have been in person at Edunation’s all-new study hub in Helsinki. 

The program sees students have extra lessons in English, as well as course specific tracks in business, engineering & technology and nursing.

“As we all know, with students coming from different countries, they are used to a different education system or different levels of education assistance. 

“It will help them not just to be familiar with the Finnish way of learning, but also get used to the way the Finns operate,” program manager Keezzia Catayoc explains to The PIE. 

The program, which is the only one of its kind providing the service in Finland, opened the new study hub within Helsinki’s Metropolia University of Applied Sciences for its latest rotation of students, also the first to do so successfully.

The study hub for its upcoming August rotation will be moved to a different campus, as the plan is to rotate at each intake.

While most study the course online, many come in advance of their degree courses to experience the study hub. 

“This last rotation saw students from Nicaragua, Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar,” Cayatoc mentions. 

Online, however, some students signing up for the program are coming from the US – something Cayatoc notes was unusual due to the US’s standing in global higher education. 

“We have a record-breaking 279 students on this recent pathway and they are progressing to our partner universities in a few months in August,” Suominen says. 

“This last rotation saw students from Nicaragua, Thailand and Vietnam”

“This is one way we can really measure the motivation of students we put through our pathway, for them coming to Finland and possibly staying,” he adds. 

EduNation is primarily a student recruitment platform, and Suominen’s aim is to ultimately push as hard as possible towards the Finnish government’s overall goal of garnering “60,000 international students in Finland by 2030”. 

“Our goal has been that it should be 100,000, because if we could in due course get to 150,000, we would be at the same level as Australia, the US or Canada when it comes to the per capita number – but if we would get 60,000, it’s a start,” Suominen says. 

It’s a lofty goal – currently the government’s specific line is that it wants to up numbers to 15,000 new students a year by 2030.

He tells The PIE that while Finland is still gaining traction and is more emergent for non-EU students, the country generally has attractions major destinations don’t – higher safety, its status as the happiest country in the world and cost.

“I have talked with many Filipino students, for example, and they said that one of the reasons why they chose our program to study in Finland was because it was only €10,000 per year compared to a similar program for €25,000 in Australia.” 

“This is one way we can really measure the motivation of students”

The student recruitment platform has seen a total of 700 students all the way through from the pathway to graduating, with a good portion, Suominen says, staying in Finland after graduation. 

Going back through the student experience to the pathways, it seems that Finland is not the only place that’s garnering interest, according to Suominen, with Europe also being eyed by clients. 

He has already begun the work of reaching out to partner universities. 

“We are also currently looking at creating a Pathway to Europe track due to the fact we might face limited capacity for progression options at universities here in Finland. I have already been asked by some and German and French universities about whether they could join,” he notes.

The post A “pathway to Finland” – the boost needed for its 2030 goal? appeared first on The PIE News.

In a decision that could have an impact on hundreds of students who were victims of an Indian education agent’s fraud, the Canadian government has ordered the deportation of an Edmonton woman.

Karamjeet Kaur, 25, faces removal from the country by May 29. The Immigration and Refugee Board, a government agency with a mandate to resolve immigration cases, turned down her request to remain in the country. Experts say it could be a precedent for other fraud victims who face deportation.

The agent in India used the same fraud scheme with a number of students who wanted to come to Canada to study. Various media reports have suggested that up to 700 people from India were victims.

In 2018, her family spent their life savings to send her to college in Canada. Her agent provided her with a letter of admission from Seneca College in Toronto, which she used to obtain a study permit. However, when she arrived in Canada, the agent told her that Seneca had no space for her and that she should attend a private college.

Instead, she applied to another public college, NorQuest in Edmonton, was accepted and completed her business degree in 2020.

However, when Kaur applied to become a permanent resident the following year, the Canadian Border Services Agency told her that the Seneca admission letter was fake. In January, the Immigration and Refugee Board ruled that she had entered the country illegally and issued an exclusion order.

“I was really shocked. I’ve already been here five years”

The board reached the decision despite acknowledging that Kaur was a victim of the agent’s fraud.

“I do find that her testimony was credible; there’s nothing in her testimony that would suggest to me that she didn’t genuinely believe that she was admitted to Seneca College,” the board official wrote.

However, the board ruled that Kaur should have contacted Seneca to verify her status, rather than relying on the word of her agent.

Kaur told the Canadian Press news agency that she was stunned to learn that the admission letter was fake and that she could be deported even after completing her degree and finding employment. “I was really shocked. I’ve already been here five years. Canada is my country now.”

The agent, Rahul Bhargava of Education and Migration Services, faces charges in India.

The post Indian ordered to be deported from Canada appeared first on The PIE News.