How to Study in Canada from Congo DRC, Africa

Many Africans choose to study in Canada from Congo DRC due to many career benefits they enjoy upon graduation. Apart from the fact that it is close to the United States of America, Canada is also known for enclosing some of the world’s best educational institutions.

International students in Canada enjoy varied benefits from studying in the country, such as the possibility of permanent residence, job outlooks and possible citizenship.

One of the most important things that attract International students to Canada is the quality of their education. Canada’s high academic requirements and stern quality controls represent the top-notch education that is delivered, which contributes to a better future and enhances an individual’s profession in the long run.

Here are some of the benefits of studying in Canada from Congo DRC.

Education that is both affordable and accessible

In comparison to the United States and the United Kingdom, Canada offers top-notch education and quality standards of living. It features some of the lowest college fees and tuition in the world, which is one of the main reasons why so many students go to Canada.

There are a variety of scholarships available in addition to economic options. You can apply for such scholarships to help pay for your education in Canada.

The unemployment rate is low

International graduates in Canada have excellent job chances. Several global partnership agreements are linked to Canada’s colleges. Additionally, a higher percentage of Canadian graduates find work within six months after graduation. It’s all the effort of the Canadian government.

Education is a top priority for the Canadian government

Through a variety of measures, the Canadian Council of Ministers of Education prioritizes bringing international students to education sectors. The strategy is aimed not just at attracting new students, but also at maintaining those who have already graduated by providing additional chances for Canadian students to work overseas while studying and then stay in the nation as permanent citizens.

They have a multicultural environment

Canada is known for its multiculturalism. Everyone is warmly welcomed and accepted. Many other countries and ethnicities are widely represented throughout the country and city. Canada became the first country in the world to make multiculturalism an official policy in 1971.

By doing so, Canada affirmed the worth and dignity of all Canadian citizens, regardless of their ethnic or racial origins, language, or religious affiliation.

Prospects in Canada

Canada is a country that houses the most reputable universities in the world, and as such it attracts lots of international students yearly. Because of the comfort and perks that come with studying in Canada (including the job prospects in Canada after graduation), so many international students consider staying back in the country to work.

Finding a job is easy

It is not a difficult thing to get a job in Canada, you will only be required to obtain a work permit that allows you to remain there and work for a couple of years. Meanwhile, your annual wage could be between the range of 60,000CAD and 150,000CAD. This is dependent on the company, sector or region you work with. However, some degrees pay higher such as MBA, Law, Computer Science and MS.

Salaries are better

There are several prospects in Canada after studying, but some of them will be discussed below:

• IT Manager: As a bachelor of computer science degree holder in Canada, you can fit in various IT positions such as IT operations manager, senior IT manager, IT director with an annual wage of 85,074CAD.

• Construction Manager: With a bachelor’s or Master’s degree in civil engineering, you can fit into roles like site inspector, project coordinator, project manager, superintendent. Meanwhile, you should expect an annual wage of 92,052CAD.

• Marketing Manager: You can work in positions such as digital marketing manager, marketing director, senior marketing manager. However, these positions are available to people who graduated with an MBA in Canada. Their annual wage is 62,885CAD.

Popular Canadian Provinces for Congolese Students

During the rule of Mobutu in the early 1960s till 2000, the number of people migrating from Congo DRC to Canada increased from 0 to 205. This high influx was due to the inability of people to make ends meet in a war-torn country.

Congolese students love these cities

When Congolese refugees were obtaining citizenship in Canada, there were provinces that they settled in which marked those areas a spot for Congolese coming to Canada. Such provinces are Manitoba, Quebec, Edmonton, Montreal. Some of them chose Edmonton because of economic reasons and some chose Manitoba and Quebec because they have high francophone populations.

Programs Congolese Students can Study in Canada

There is no more limitation to the Congolese students as some courses are best suited for Congolese students in Canada (for various degrees like bachelor’s degree, diploma, Master’s degree, and PhD). As such, Congolese students can now study in Canada from Congo DRC.

Bachelors

For a bachelor’s degree, a Congolese student can consider taking programs like business administration, commerce, engineering, agricultural sciences, social sciences, and health science.

Diploma

For a diploma, a Congolese student can take up programs like health research, natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, and mathematics.

Masters

A master’s degree student can take up programs like business administration, commerce, arts, business communication, mathematics, agricultural science, finance, and engineering.

Doctorate

A PhD student can consider taking political science, project management, marketing and communication, development and entrepreneurship, and curating.

Cost of Studying in Canada from Congo DRC

When you choose Canada to study as a Congolese student there are costs to be considered such as tuition fees, living costs, flight costs, books, etc. These are not the only things a Congolese student should consider, they also consider sponsors, loans that are available for them there in Canada.

Tuition varies by program

The tuition fee for international students varies depending on the program they choose. A course like Humanities costs $6,000 per year, while engineering and medicine courses cost $17,000 annually, and business-related courses are $5,170 yearly. As the degree increases for international students, the tuition fees increase too.

Living expense depends on lifestyle

When it comes to living expenses, a Congolese student planning to study in Canada from Congo DRC should consider the following; living expenses, accommodation, food expenses, transportation, health care, and so on. Student accommodation varies from $3,000 – $6,000 annually.

Who can sponsor students from Congo DRC?

International students from Congo DRC can get sponsorships and scholarships from different people, organizations, and universities. For sponsorships, they will have to write a letter notifying the government or the university that they will be solely responsible for their academic bills in Canada.

Congolese students studying in Canada are now eligible for student loans without a consigner, that is if they are accepted at specific schools in Canada.

If you wish to take out a student loan in Canada, you can acquire them through a private lender. He will consider some things that will qualify you for the loan.

Scholarship for Congolese Students in Canada

Different scholarships are awarded to students who are studying in Canada from Congo DRC. This scholarship can be fully funded or partly funded, it can be for a bachelor’s degree, MBA, diploma, masters, or even PhD.

Eligible students can apply

To be able to apply for these scholarships one has to be eligible as stated by the organization funding the scholarship. Once a Congolese student possesses the following criteria then he has a chance of winning a scholarship:

• The applicant should have at least a CGPA of 3.0.
• He must be a full-time student.
• He must have a valid study permit.
• He must be a member of the Canadian visa study hub.
• He must have proof of enrollment.

All the criteria mentioned above are a few among many other criteria that should be considered by an international student studying in Canada from Congo DRC.

Every organization that offers fully funded or partly funded scholarships have criteria every student must satisfy before they will be considered or chosen. Organizations that offer such scholarships are the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS).

The smooth mover’s scholarship, the University of Waterloo, the UCW MBA excellence scholarship for continuing students, Arthur. F. church entrance scholarships, University of Winnipeg, Conestoga, David Johnston – Lebovic foundation international experience awards, University of Guelph, Vanier Canada graduate scholarships.

Universities have scholarships too!

If you are a Congolese student looking to apply for a scholarship to study in Canada, you should explore various universities, contact them and know available scholarships provided by the provincial government, Canadian government, private foundations, and non-profit foundations. After getting a list of available scholarships, you can now apply to all or some of them.

Full or partial scholarship options

Various scholarships are going on in Canada for international students and some of these are fully funded while some are partially funded. Scholarships like the smooth movers, University of Waterloo, UCW MBA excellence scholarship, Arthur.F. church, University of Winnipeg, Conestoga, Davis Johnston-Lebovic foundation, University of Guelph and others are all partly funded scholarships.

While scholarships like Burrows international scholarship program test, global citizen scholarship, 100-year vision scholarship, African leaders of tomorrow scholarship, Google PhD fellowship program and all others are fully funded scholarships.

How to apply for Admission in Canada from Congo DRC

Applying for admission in Canada from Congo DRC is not that difficult. All you have to do is choose a program that best suits you. Do not fear, the programs will be taught in the English language. After choosing a program, then prepare the required paperwork.

Having the requirement is key

If you are applying for a bachelor’s degree you can send in your proof of completion and transcript but if it is a higher degree, you can still send in your transcript from your previous school.

Always check specific admission requirements because every university have their requirements and you can apply to more than one university and different programs.

Applications may be done online

When notice has been sent out that application forms are out, you can log into the university website and you will be required to pay an application fee. After which you attach the necessary documents and send them to the university.

After all these steps are completed, you now wait to be admitted but while waiting, you should start processing your study visa because it takes time. Some requirements for your academics should be met.

Have your language score ready

For someone who will apply for a bachelor’s degree or diploma, they will require you have a flexible admission, an IELTS score of 6/6.5 as required by the school you applied to, and you can score 550/213 In your TOEFL exams.

For the master’s program, you will need 2-3 years of full-time work experience, and you have to score 580-600 on your GMAT, you can score 6.5 in your IELTS exam, and score 580/600 in your TOEFL exams, you have to score an average of 70% of your 4years bachelor’s degree. Language is not required to get admission into a Canadian university, this is because Canada is an English-speaking country.

If you know another language, then that is an added advantage because it will help when socializing with people or when you’re searching for a job.

While you wait for acceptance

While waiting for your admission you can prepare your medical certificate, prepare your statement of account, your English proficiency test, and your university will also send across to you the other requirements to complete your admission process.

Apply by yourself or hire a representative

You can choose to go through self-application or you could hire some consultants or representatives to go through the process for you. However, you should bear in mind that there are pros and cons of either applying by yourself or hiring consultants.

When applying by yourself, you will save yourself a huge amount of money in the overall process as you’ve not applied before. Consultants can be selfish but you will have to find one who has your best interest at heart.

The consultant will help you with your IELTS preparation, they will help you choose the right officials for your ECA evaluation. But generally, they help you save time and money.

Applying for a Canada Study visa from Congo DRC

The application process of studying in Canada from Congo DRC is very easy once you have the right representative working on your behalf if you need to. Applications for Canada study visa is submitted through the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, IRCC.

To be able to study in Canada from Congo DRC, you will need a study permit from the Canadian government.

Student visa requirements from Congo DRC

The requirements to get the study permit include; a letter of acceptance from the University (apply online through the student direct stream), you will be required to provide your debit/credit card, you will also have to prepare answers to the questions that will be asked, you need to know the required fees and then create an online account and sign in for your study permit.

Canada Visa fees for Congolese Students

There are fees that you are meant to pay while processing your study visas, fees such as biometric fees, third-party fees, and all other fees that will sum up to about $200.

Aside from fees, there will be some documents you will be asked to prepare and they are your valid passport, copies of your previous certificates, academic references, employer references, statement of purpose, certificate of extracurricular activities, acceptance letter, proof of payment, proof of financial funds, passport size photographs, study permit and visa.

English proficiency and another requirement will be passed across to you by the university. The time it takes to process a study permit is approximately one month but be careful, there is a difference between a study visa and a study permit.

Apply online or via paper route

Application on paper and online are different ways by which one can get their study permit but it is advisable to apply online. You will be required to have some documents prepared together with your debit/credit card. Applying for a study visa in Congo DRC is easy, either you do it yourself or with the help of a representative or consultant. The embassy of Canada in Congo DRC where this visa will be processed is located at 17 pumps avenue, Gombe commune, Kinshasa, Congo DRC.

Check your visa status online

Since the online application is best for your study permit, checking the status can also be done online by logging into the account you created. Updates about the study permit will be passed across there. Processing times vary, depending on how busy IRCC is at the time of applying.

Frequently Asked Questions: Congo DRC Students

How much does it cost to study in Canada from Congo DRC?

You will be required to have over $200,000 in your account to prove that you can sustain yourself.

What is the best time to apply for study in Canada from Congo DRC?

It is best to apply 3 months before the fall intake. Normally it takes about 3 months to process your application for a student visa in Canada.

How to get a scholarship to study in Canada from Congo DRC?

You can apply for any of the scholarships depending on if you choose a fully-funded scholarship or a partly funded scholarship.

How to study in Canada after graduation from Congo DRC?

You can apply to the university of your choice, the degree of your choice, and pay the admission fee. After which you are steps closer to studying in Canada.

Do I need IELTS or TOEFL to study in Canada from Congo DRC?

Though some schools require the exams to access your application, since Congo DRC is not an English-speaking country, you won’t be needing any of them.

What is the population of Congolese students in Canada?

From 2018 to 2019 fiscal year, 2073 Congolese students were recorded in Canada.

Can Congo DRC students work in Canada while studying?

They can work while studying depending on the kind of study visa they possess. But if you have a fully-funded scholarship you won’t be allowed to work.

Is Canada the best country for Congo DRC students?

It is the best choice for any student planning to study in Canada from Congo DRC because it offers various flexible programs.

Conclusion

It’s great you decided to study in Canada from Congo DRC. Canada is a beautiful and excellent place to study. I’m sure you wouldn’t regret taking such a decision.

Apart from sharing a neighborhood with the US, there are a lot of benefits you stand to gain. With this detailed guide, you can kickstart your admission application to study in Canada from Congo DRC.