I am pleased to inform this house that full-time international students studying at Memorial University or College of the North Atlantic can now apply for an Off-Campus Work Permit.

Previously, these students could only work on the campuses at which they were studying. Local employers did not have access to this pool of talented individuals, who bring valuable skills and global connections to the workplace.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada has signed agreements with provinces and has recently changed its policy. International students can now seek employment in the province where they live while studying. They may work off-campus up to 20 hours per week during the school year and work full-time during study breaks. In addition to supplementing their income, they can gain Canadian work experience, and can better integrate into our labour force.

Students here and across Canada have been encouraging this policy change. During consultations for our provincial immigration strategy, we heard that local students wanted the government to allow this off-campus work. This agreement benefits the approximately 850 full-time students at Memorial University and College of the North Atlantic whom already make a considerable contribution both economically and culturally to our province.

This is a positive step forward, providing benefits for the students themselves, for our post-secondary institutions, for our local labour market, and for our province.

2006 05 09                                                1:45 p.m.