On October 25, Centennial College and BorderPass announced they have teamed up to give current international students at the College access to trusted immigration lawyers and legal services via an online platform starting this fall.
The move gives international students a go-to resource for affordable, transparent, and realistic guidance on immigration, safeguarding against bad actors charging unfair fees and making false promises. Adding BorderPass to Centennial's service offerings expands upon the robust support provided by the College's team of regulated immigration consultants and advisors.
"We have a duty and a desire to ensure that each international student we invite to study on our campuses has the services and support they need to succeed," said Dr. Craig Stephenson, President and CEO of Centennial College. "Our partnership with BorderPass will help minimize the stresses and strains international students experience when preparing for and transitioning to study here with us in Canada and beyond. Smoothing the path to post-graduation employment and permanent residency, for those who wish to pursue it, is just one more way Centennial is demonstrating its devotion to all things student - a key institutional goal."
BorderPass supports students through their entire immigration journey, offering long-term guidance for permanent residency in Canada. By mapping out realistic pathways for students interested in staying in the country and working after their studies, the online platform can help improve outcomes at a time when Canada needs to attract and retain international talent to address gaps in the labour market and can help align those gaps to the appropriate study programs.
"Canada is ranked as one of the top study destinations in the world for international students due to its world-class education system, diverse multiculturalism, and job opportunities," said Josh Green, BorderPass Co-Founder. "However, the traditional immigration journey is manual, fragmented, and rife with fraud, which unfavourably affects students, learning institutions, and Canada's reputation and economy. BorderPass was built to help people from around the world with aspirations of studying and working in Canada, as well as the governments and institutions that play such a vital role in their journey."
In the initial roll-out this fall, current Centennial students will receive access to BorderPass services for the length of time that they are actively enrolled at the College, including:
- Notifications of key dates, continuous monitoring and management of their visas and immigration documentation.
- A relationship with Canadian immigration lawyers and access to professional legal immigration experts, including group workshops, one-on-one consultations, and email/chat support with prompt response times.
- Ongoing tracking and management to ensure compliance, providing students with visibility, guidance and tips on their permanent residency pathways, and additional services such as social insurance number registration and more.
Additional visa services, such as study permit extensions, co-op work permits, post-graduation work permits, spousal permits, visitor visas, and more will be available at preferred rates in addition to standard government fees.
Centennial students eligible for graduation each spring will be allotted a 16-week coverage extension to assist them through to employment. Beyond this, international alumni may choose to independently maintain a BorderPass subscription for ongoing support.
In the coming months, Centennial anticipates extending BorderPass' services such as help applying for study permits to new students during the enrollment process.
