Immigration to Canada: Studying as Minor Children

International students can study in Canadian primary schools and high schools. Children have to start their schools at the age of 5 or 6 and it will continue for 12 years.

 

Minor Children Age

In Canada, all territories and provinces are in charge of their education systems. Minor students’ age may differ in each territory or province which varied between 18 and 19.  A person whose age is under the majority age is a minor child.

 

Caring for Minor Children in Canada

The parents have to show that their minor children will be supported during their stay in Canada. So minor children have to come to Canada with their parents or find a custodian. (A custodian is an adult who supports and take care of the minor child and he or she himself or herself should be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident). Minor children’s parents can accompany their children by applying for a visitor visa which is multiple and valid for five years. Parents are not allowed to work in this period.

 

Minor Children before Arriving in Canada

Minor children who decide to study in Canada for six months or more than six months, have to apply for a study permit prior to entering Canada. Minor Children who are living in Canada with their parents who have work or study permits have to follow this process.

 

Primary and Secondary School

Schools that teach students up to grade twelve are known as primary and secondary schools. Primary usually means grades 1 to 8 and secondary usually means grades 9 to 12.  Each year has two terms and each term is approximately four months. The school year in Canada runs from the end of August to the end of June. During the school year, students have to go to school from Monday to Friday. The school day in elementary schools is usually from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm and in high schools, hours are usually from 8:30 am until 2:30 pm. Also, they enjoy a two-week break at Christmas and two weeks in March.  Students who successfully finish high school will be given a high school diploma. Schools in Canada are in English-language or French-language.

 

Services Provided by Schools

Most of these schools have different services such as libraries, sport and recreational services, transportation, food services, insurance, etc. For example, insurance provides usual doctor visits, prescriptions, eyeglasses, eye care, dental, mental health and much more for approximately an additional 500 to 1000 CAD to the tuition fees.

 

Public and Private Schools in Canada

Most primary and secondary schools in Canada can enroll international students. Students have to pay entire tuition when the semester starts both in private schools and public schools. The average tuition for these schools varied from 14000 to 18000 CAD. If the applicant cannot obtain the visa, the registration fee will be fully refunded.

 

1. Public Schools

The public education system in Canada includes schools from kindergarten to grade twelve. All public schools in Canada are following a standard curriculum. These schools are funded by the government and they only hire teachers who are government certified. Education in the Canadian public school system is free for students whose parents are citizens or have a student visa or work permit. Children must attend school until age 16 or 18 which is depending on the territory or province where they are living.

2. Private Schools

Studying in private schools and public schools are similar to each other. Funding is the principal difference between public and private schools. Private schools are not funded by the government and are based on other funding resources. As a result, tuition for private schools could be higher than in public schools. In some private schools, in addition to the main courses, they hold activities such as sports, music, theatre, and dance. Some of these schools are also supported by religious groups or are of the same sex.

3. Boarding Schools and Day Schools

The living accommodation is the principal difference between boarding schools and private schools. In boarding schools, students live on campus during the school year. They live in dormitories with teachers named Dorm Monitors. In private schools, students can live with a family. Boarding schools tuition fee is higher than Day schools and is varied from 30,000 to 60,000 as day school tuition fee is varied from 14,000 to 25,000 depending on the provinces and services.