Why Studying in Canada is Better than the USA

Today we are going to talk about why studying in Canada is Better than in the USA!

Over the past couple of years, some countries have emerged as popular study abroad destinations among international students. 

But both the US and Canada are dream destinations for students who aspire to acquire higher education abroad.

In recent times Canada has overtaken the US and the major contributing factors for the students preferring Canada over the US are speedy processing times for study permits, easy immigration, and lower costs. 

The controversies surrounding the US F1 visa freeze in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a decline in the number of students applying to study in the US. Though the decision was revoked, the changes in H1-B student visa policies also affected the influx of international students to the US. 

Canada, on the other hand, did not experience such a drastic change in the number of international students opting for higher education with them. 

Here are the factors that make Canada a better choice for international students:

1 - Visa Policy

As is well known, the US visa application system is an extremely time-consuming and complicated process that requires a great deal of scrutiny and a lot of waiting. By comparison, the Canadian visa application process is relatively simpler and shorter, which encourages international students to study in Canada.

Additionally, Canadian universities allow international students to stay in Canada and search for employment opportunities. The Graduate Work Permit allows international students to remain for up to two years after graduation from a Canadian post-secondary institution, depending on the length of the course. 

On the other hand, as F-1 visa holders, international students in the United States are allowed to remain in the country to complete up to one year of temporary employment directly related to their main field of study.

2 -Eligibility Criteria

Though the admission process and the eligibility criteria that international students need to fulfill for getting an education from the US and Canada are similar, yet there are certainly major differences that make it slightly easier to get into Canadian universities than US universities. 

Entrance Exams Required to Study Bachelors: For studying bachelors in the US, international applicants must appear for the SAT or ACT exam. However, for pursuing bachelor's courses in Canada SAT/ACT scores are not mandatorily required.

Entrance Exams Required to Study Masters: To study for masters in the USA applicants must mandatorily have appeared for the GRE exam. Though it is not required for all the universities, most of the US universities ask for GRE scores to give admissions to international students. On the other hand, for getting admission to master's in Canada, GRE scores are not required. There are very few courses or universities that ask for GRE scores from international students applying for Canadian universities.

3 - Costs & Expenses

The cost of pursuing education in Canada is relatively less when compared to how expensive education in the US is. The two major expenses incurred by international students while studying abroad are tuition fees and living expenses. 

4 - Cost of Living:- USA vs Canada

Apart from tuition fees, the cost of living in Canada is also much lower than the cost of living in the US. International students can gain a fair idea of the cost of living for both countries on the video with examples.

5 - Employment Opportunities

One of the most important reasons for studying abroad is a large number of career opportunities it opens up. 

One of the advantages Canadian international students have over international students studying in the US is that of Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP). The post-graduation work permit is an integral part of Canada’s immigration system which allows overseas students to work in Canada for up to 3 years after graduation.

It is also a gateway to permanent residence and eventually citizenship.