Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!watnot!watdaisy!rabaeza From: rabaeza@watdaisy.UUCP Newsgroups: uw.general,uw.grad.cs,ont.general Subject: Unfairness with Foreign Students Message-ID: <8056@watdaisy.UUCP> Date: Mon, 29-Dec-86 18:47:56 EST Article-I.D.: watdaisy.8056 Posted: Mon Dec 29 18:47:56 1986 Date-Received: Tue, 30-Dec-86 04:38:58 EST Reply-To: rabaeza@watdaisy.UUCP (Ricardo A. Baeza-Yates) Distribution: ont Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario Lines: 52 Xref: watmath uw.general:317 uw.grad.cs:1507 ont.general:300 In last articles, posted in uw.general, Mariaurora Mota ask about some comments on unfairness with foreign students. Before I come to Canada, I knew that my wife and me (outside the university) can't work. Also, I knew that the tuition fee were high and that the scolarships programs for foreign students were very limited. In other words, I didn't expect an "easy" life. However, I found other incredible things: a) we pay unployment insurance and Canada Pension Plan premiums from which we are not allowed to collect benefits (and this is under the law!) b) that the tuition fee depends in your citizenship. This problem is worst in Ontario, where in some universities the fee for a foreign student is 4 times the fee of a canadian student. Now, the only two provinces that do not impose differential fees are Manitoba and Newfoundland. Also, in fact, here foreign student means a visa student. An interesting article in this problem, written by Valerie Shore, appears in the last issue of "University Affairs" ("Canada closing doors on foreign students", page 16). Two other articles in the same issue are related (pages 12 and 17). Some facts mentioned in the article are: a) the enrolment of foreign students declined 20% in the last two years b) in many areas, a high percentage of research, is made by graduate foreign students c) 4500 jobs are supported by foreign students The mentioned article is based in a report from the Canadian Bureau for International Education called "Closing the doors?". I would like to insert a sentence from that source: "If this happens (that this problem remains unresolved), Canada risks losing its already tenuous claim to world class status in postsecondary education. There will be serious repercussions, not only in our scientific and academic communities, but in the cultural, economic and diplomatic areas as well." Important questions are: Are the universities and student federations worried about this problem? Exist good reasons for maintain this policies? Ricardo Baeza-Yates Mail personal comments to rabaeza@watdaisy -- rabaeza@waterloo.csnet 1-519-885-1211 ext. 6709 Ricardo Baeza rabaeza%waterloo@csnet-relay.arpa CS Dept., U. Waterloo {allegra,decvax,inhp4,utzoo}!watmath!watdaisy!rabaeza Waterloo, Ont. N2L3G1