Why spend thousands of dollars and hours of your time applying for a visa when you can get one for free? Unless you’re a celebrity or a professional athlete, getting your visa to Canada can be difficult. Not only is demand for visas high, but there are also many stringent requirements. This is especially the case if you’re an ordinary job-seeker and not a famous sports star.
Fortunately, there is a way to get your Canadian visa for free. In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know on how to get a free visa to Canada.
How To Get a Free Visa to Canada?
There are lots of ways you can immigrate to Canada for free, but the easiest is to travel by applying for a student visa and studying there.
In addition to being a pretty awesome country, Canada is also home to some of the world’s top universities: think UBC, McGill, and others. And with tuition for international students at these schools costing about $20,000 CAD per year (about $15k USD), not everyone can afford to go there.
Fortunately, if you’re an international student who wants to study in Canada but can’t quite swing the tuition costs yet, there are a handful of ways to get funded—and we’re not talking about selling your soul or pledging your firstborn as collateral. Read on for details on financial aid programs and how to get a fully funded visa to Canada.
So as to attract more international students, the Canadian government has provided many scholarships, free schools, and grants to make life easier for international students. The reason why the Canadian government wants to attract more international students is that they add to the growth of their economy.
Different types of scholarships you can apply for to study in Canada
There are different types of scholarship award programs that the Canadian government offers to international students. One of which is a fully-funded scholarship award, which is an all-expense-paid program including your flight and your accommodation.
The second one is the partially funded scholarship program. As the name implies, it funds just part of your tuition fees which means you will have to get a student job in Canada to cover up the remaining part. There is also grants for students which covers minor expenses like books, library fee, practical, etc.
We have created a list of the different types of scholarships available in Canada.
Merit-Based Scholarships
This scholarship program is awarded to students who meet up with the requirements of the scholarship. This scholarship is mostly awarded by private organizations or public institutions.
Most times the requirements are based on educational qualification, extracurricular activities, community service, work experience, or financial status of the applicants being considered (for students who don’t have a means of furthering their education in Canada).
Applicants stand a high chance of being awarded this type of scholarship program. All you have to do is to meet up with the requirements and you will be awarded a fully-funded scholarship program to travel and study in Canada for free.
Scholarship from university/college
This type of scholarship program is awarded by universities and colleges in Canada. Some colleges and universities in Canada offer this scholarship to international students, and you don’t even need to apply for the scholarship to be considered. Once you are enrolled in the university, you automatically qualify for the scholarship.
Financial Need Scholarship
Just as the name implies, this scholarship program is awarded to those who are in need of financial support to further their education in Canada. An applicant might be awarded the scholarship depending on the financial status of their family.
Although this award is given to those in need of financial support, some programs may have additional requirements to make a candidate eligible for it, such as; academic success, leadership quality, and the zeal to further your studies or extracurricular activities.
Scholarship Funded by the Government
The Government authorities in most countries, offer lots of scholarships. There are over a thousand scholarship programs funded by their government to both national and international students. Some of which are fully funded and the rest partially funded.
The requirements for each scholarship program offered by the Canadian government vary, so in other to be considered for the award, you have to meet up with each program’s requirements.
Scholarship funded by private Organization
Just like the scholarship programs funded by the government, there are other scholarship programs also funded by private individuals or organizations. This type of scholarship is available for both national and international students.
You can find them by making research or making inquiries from the web, organization,s or different scholarship portals.
Scholarship based on country
There are some scholarship programs available for some selected countries, mostly developing or under developed countries. To find these scholarship programs, go to Edu Canada (educanada.ca) to find them, and if your country is among the listed countries, you are already qualified. You just need to meet up with other requirements to give you a better chance of being selected for the award.
You can find a list of scholarships by country here (gettoguide.info)
Easy Steps to Travel to Canada for Free on a Scholarship.
Apply for Admission to a University in Canada and Apply for a scholarship
You should make some research on a good school of your choice and apply for it. There are some universities that offer scholarship programs to cover the tuition for just your first year in school while others cover your full tuition in the university. It is advisable to apply for a fully-funded scholarship so that all your tuition fees will be catered for.
You should know the requirements of the scholarship program you want to apply for and make sure you meet up with the requirements so as to stand a chance to be considered for the program. Each scholarship program’s requirements vary, some may require you to be in Canada to receive it while others may allow you receive it from your home country.
What are the requirements for a Scholarship in Canada?
Each scholarship program in Canada varies in its requirements since they offer the award to students based on different reasons. But we will be listing out the general requirements similar to all scholarship programs.
Educational Qualification: You need to have a very good high school or secondary school result if you are applying for a scholarship for an undergraduate degree. Also, you must have graduated with an undergraduate degree to be able to apply for a post-graduate scholarship program.
Research Experience: Having some research experience in the field you wish to further your studies in will give you a higher ground in applying for a scholarship for a post-graduate degree.
Work Experience: You must have gained working experience in the specific field of study or related study you are applying for in scholarship to boost your chances of being considered. Although not all scholarships like the undergraduate program require work experience to be able to meet up with the requirements.
Language Proficiency: You must be fluent in the official languages of the country you are applying for a scholarship. In this case Canada, so you must be fluent in either or of English language and French language to be able to qualify for a scholarship or even get a student visa to Canada.
Academic Excellence: In all the documents required for a scholarship program, academic performance is a very important aspect to be considered in Canada. Candidates with better academic results tend to receive more scholarship program awards.
Demonstrate Financial Need: The reason why scholarship programs are offered is to help people who are not financially buoyant enough to further their studies abroad. So a student needs to show or demonstrate this so as to be considered.
Zeal to continue education: Most scholarship programs require their applicants to show their zeal to further their studies even if they are not financially buoyant enough to do so by themselves.
Community Service: As a reward to those who have been serving their community in one way or another, most students are given scholarships. Most scholarship programs request proof that they served their community.
Benefit: The reason why the Canadian government wants to attract more international students through scholarships is that they add to the growth of their economy.
Choose the Right Scholarship for you and apply
The best type of scholarship program to apply for is the fully funded program where everything is paid for including your visa. So I’ll recommend you go for it.
Once you’ve made your research and selected various scholarship programs that are fully funded, you can then begin to apply for them all and make sure you meet up with all their requirements.
You can also search for Affordable Universities
It is rare to see schools that are completely free in Canada, but you can see ones with a considerable tuition fee that your budget can fit into. Finding schools that offer less expensive tuition fees will help you cut down costs. You can also apply for scholarships or government grants to help pay off your fees.
Apply for a student visa and Fly to Canada
Once you have been enrolled in a school in Canada and applied for a scholarship, the next step is to travel to Canada with a student visa to begin your studies. If you are selected as a candidate for a fully-funded scholarship, then your expenses are paid including your visa fee, transport, and accommodation. Everything will be covered.
Find Student jobs
Why most students prefer to study in Canada is because they are given the opportunity to work while studying. It’s a way of making students life easier both financially and otherwise as they don’t have to worry about how to have extra money to foot their bills. This way, you have extra funds and also gain working experience before you graduate. This work experience can come in handy to get a permanent job completion of your studies, making you have an extended visa or workers permit.
The other way you can get a free visa to Canada is by applying for a job that grants free visas to eligible applicants.
In today’s world, the demand for skilled workers is at an all-time high. As a result, many countries are opening up their borders to skilled workers who can contribute positively to their economy as a whole.
In Canada, this has led to the creation of various visa programs that target specific skillsets and occupations. In most cases, these visas require you to apply from your home country, which in turn means you will need to show evidence of your education and training in order to be successful with your application.
How to get a job in Canada as an immigrant
Applying for work in Canada is not an easy task, but you have to keep applying for any job openings available. You can look for jobs in Canada from your current location and with more perseverance, you might get what you are looking for.
You should know that you are not the only one applying for the available Canadian jobs with a free visa, so for you to have an upper hand in having your dream job in Canada, it is pertinent you have very good skills. Have a good work experience so your employer will see what you have to offer. Keep applying till you get the job as it won’t come on a platter.
There are some steps to take to give you a better chance of getting employed in Canada
Written Job offer
A foreigner who wants to work in Canada must get a working visa, according to Canadian immigration laws. You must first get a written job offer from your prospective employer in order to be eligible for a working visa.
Proof of Eligibility
The next step for foreigners wanting to work and stay in Canada is to show proof of eligibility.
Candidates must submit papers such as a curriculum vitae (CV) or a resume. For the job being applied for, proof of strong education or work experience is essential.
The purpose of this proof of eligibility is to ensure that applicants have the necessary qualifications to meet the job’s minimum requirements.
Identification Proof
Applicants will also be needed to show proof of identity, which might be a valid passport or a travel document. This proof of identity paper will act as an assurance that you will not remain in the country indefinitely and will eventually return to your own country.
Entry Requirements to Canada
As an applicant, you must meet a number of general standards in order to enter the nation. You will be needed to show a current passport. It wouldn’t hurt to look up what you’ll need to provide on the Citizenship and Immigration Canada website. The requirements of each country may be different.
Here are some websites where you can look for job vacancies with free visas in Canada:
- eluta.com
- monster.com
- canadajobs.com
- indeed.com
- workopolis.com
Conclusion
We have successfully been able to explain to you the two easiest ways to get to Canada with a free visa. The ball is now in your court on the part to take in leaving your country for Canada. Good luck in your search for fully-funded scholarships as a student and also to you looking for a job with a free visa.