Introduction
Regarding moving to Canada as international students, we are excited and enthusiastic as we evolve as part of the new education system. Teaching education in Canada is very different from that in India. In addition, there are endless opportunities to prove yourself as a student. However, there are some mistakes that international students should not make. You can run into problems if you don’t take these blunders seriously.
Not Enough Research
Students do not do sufficient research and take any course, province, University, or College, and the reason is quite apparent: this is only Permanent Residence (PR). The only motive of these students is to get residence in Canada somehow, but this decision can affect your life.
Researching the Canadian system properly is essential because you will be spending your parents’ hard-earned money, and you have to take full advantage of it. Get more information regarding provinces and their rules which you should know, do proper research about the Colleges and Universities, talk to current students, get more information about the courses and check if you would like to study those subjects. Not only should you like those courses, but also check whether these are in demand or is their bright future of learning these courses.
After you select your future University and the course you want to study, you need to do your finances. Check if you can afford the education or if you need to borrow a loan. Financing is essential as you cannot leave your education pending, which wastes time and resources.
Plagiarism
What is Plagiarism?
Plagiarism is an act in which a person copies someone else idea and represents it as their idea. Universities in Canada, the USA, and Europe protects an individual’s idea, be it an assignment, article, images, video or any piece of work. Primarily, international students from Asian countries do not have anything such as Plagiarism; they copy-paste the assignment in institutions and earn grades. When they come to a country like Canada, they take some time to settle in Canada. Usually, they fail to manage their time and tend to follow the practice of copy-pasting someone else idea without giving credits, which can lead you into deep-deep water.
So how can you save yourselves?
Always mention the individual in your papers through citations. Nowadays, APA7 (American Psychological Association e7) for reference in assignments. If you don’t know citation, learn it from YouTube, ask for seniors to share their assignments as a sample, or the best option is to look for resources on your universities site. However, University will provide you with Turnitin credentials to check Plagiarism before submitting the assignment.
Communication with Family and Friends
International students cannot balance their life between Canada and their home country. It is evident that A student new to Canada suffers homesickness; you miss your family and friends. To overcome this, you call your friends and family and talk to them, but there is a vast time difference because you call them late at night. This can affect your health and schedule and even fall you in Academics.
You cannot talk to all your family and friends daily or at least regularly. You have to control yourself and make a proper schedule, such as whom you will speak to and how long you will talk to them.
Hanging out with Students from Home country
When you come to Canada from your home country, you are alone. Then you make new friends here in Canada, and usually, international students make a friend who belongs to their home country. For instance, an international student from India will try to make Indian friends and join the Indian community in Canada. Yes, it can help you understand Canadian culture and get a good start in Canada, but you are in your comfort zone. It would help if you talked to local people, people of various communities- Chinese, European, Vietnamese, Africans and many more. This will help you build a thought process, understand their culture, and help you in decision-making.
Going Out of Budget
Budgeting is vital for everyone, and international students must spend their money well. These students are paying almost 3-5 time than local students and paying for rent and living expenses in dollars. It is essential to save money because you do not know when exchange rates will be raised, and you find living challenging. Also, you need to save some money in cases of emergency like accidents.
So how can you save money?
Make a plan on how much you can spend on your lifestyle. Use your ATM card for transactions and set your limits on a card so that you spend your money well. Try to buy used goods in place of new ones and save money and don’t feel shy about it as you are not here to impress someone, you are here to make your life better.
Working on Cash
As a student, you are eligible to work in Canada for 20 hours a week and should not extend this limit. The students who fail to budget or have become part of scams or emergencies try to earn more money to become financially stable. But it won’t help a student in the long run, and somebody will complain about such student to authorities or authorities can find you in their way. All these can lead to the cancellation of your visa, and you will be deported from the country.
So be aware of scams and protect yourself from the same; budget your expenses regularly and do not run for the money by spending extra hours at work. It can even lead you to fall into Academics, and additional working hours do not count as experience. It’s illegal and is like putting a hammer on your toes.
Poor Work-Life Balance
As mentioned earlier, you are coming to Canada for better opportunities and good life. Having a better work-life balance is very important. If you have twenty hours of work permit in Canada as a student, divide these 20 hours over the week to make a perfect work-life balance because you do not want to hamper your studies and life. You are the person who knows yourself and your routine well; hence only you have to work on making a proper weekly schedule which will make your life excellent and joyful.
Staying Professional
The next mistake that most students make is communicating professionally. Students do not behave professionally with their Professors, colleagues, and other students. The problem is students do not know how to deal professionally with people. The only way is by talking to these people as much as possible. Spends some time discussing or clearing doubts with professors, which will not teach you to behave professionally but will make a good impression in professor for you. They may assume that you are putting your efforts into studying and adjusting to the Canadian Education System.
By graduating, you will learn a lot about professionalism and how to behave in the working environment. It is the last opportunity for you to make any such mistake and prevent you from facing any embarrassment in your career.
Check for Documents
Handling your documents when you are in another country is very important. No one is bothered if you have your documents safe or not, valid or not, and no one will tell you to check your papers every time. The most important document for international students is their Passport, Visa, University Identity Card, and Offer letter. It is good to practise having copies of these documents and soft copies with your parents. You can at least arrange a copy if you lost any of them.
If you work part-time in Canada, you need a Social Insurance Number (SIN), the number you need to give to your employer to work in Canada. You also need to save these numbers securely, or else someone with a lousy mind can misuse them, and you will be in trouble.
Before moving to Canada, ensure your passport validity is long enough until you finish your education or have a new one with more truth. Keep an eye on your visa validity. As the time approaches, based on your situation, renew your visa in time to continue your study smoothly.
Conclusion
So what do you need to do?
Just do research before coming to Canada before you regret it, plan what to bring from your home country, have copies of documents scanned, update your schedule on a timely basis based on the situation, check for validity of records and follow the rules set by Canada government, so you do not get under their radar. All the best!
FAQs
What to do if you lose your Passport?
First, file a Police complaint, contact your country’s embassy, and follow the guidelines.
Can I work in Canada without SIN?
Everyone who works in Canada must have a SIN. This number is used to manage federal benefits under the Income Tax Act, the Canadian Pension System and the Employment Insurance Act.
Am I facing difficulty in budgeting my expenses in Canada?
You can use the budget planner tool provided by the Government of Canada. Fill in the necessary detail, giving you a clear idea of where you can cut your expenses accordingly. Link https://itools-ioutils.fcac-acfc.gc.ca/BP-PB/budget-planner
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