Guidelines

Canada-CARICOM Leadership Scholarships are facilitated through institutional collaborations and student exchange agreements between Canadian and regional institutions. These agreements are created between colleges, technical or vocation institutions and universities. Students or researchers remain registered as full time students in their home institution during this exchange.

Canadian post-secondary institutions

Canadian institutions are:

• responsible for submitting applications on behalf of students from institutions in CARICOM member states; and
• encouraged to promote the opportunity to faculty and staff, as well as to partner institutions abroad.

Canadian institutions with successful candidates:

• should identify a single person responsible for the administration of the contribution agreement as well as the person with the proper signing authority; and
• will receive a financial contribution from Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT) to disburse scholarships to recipients.

Non-Canadian students

Students interested in this scholarship program should contact their home institution to:

• make their interest known;
• find out if there is an existing institutional collaboration or exchange agreement with a Canadian institution; and
• request information about the application process and selection criteria specific to the Canadian institution.

Students are encouraged to:

• initiate the process for transfer of credit with their home institution as soon as their Canadian courses have been identified;
• apply for a study permit (for course work) or a work permit (for research) in order to ensure a smooth entry to Canada; and
• contact alumni of the program through their home institution for advice and a local perspective on the experience.

Non-Canadian institutions

Non-Canadian institutions are encouraged to:

• communicate with partner institutions in Canada to confirm or explore new student exchange agreements;
• promote the program through their international offices; and
• identify excellent students and provide their names to the Canadian partner institution, which is responsible for submitting the scholarship applications.

Scholarship Value and Duration

The Canadian institution will receive funding for all successful candidates in the form of a contribution agreement and will be responsible for providing the funds to scholarship recipients.

The scholarship value varies depending on the duration and level of study. The scholarship value for students is:

• $7,200 CAN for undergraduate and college students for a period of four months of study or research;
• $7,200 CAN for graduate students for a period of four months of study or research;
• $9,700 CAN for graduate students for a period of five or six months of study or research; or
• $14,700 CAN for undergraduate and college students for a period of eight months of study or research if agreed by the Canadian institution.

Canadian institutions will disburse funds to the student or researcher to cover costs including:

• visa and/or study/work permit expenses;
• funding for the most economical round trip economy class ticket;
• funding for health insurance;
• monthly living allowance; and
• required books, supplies, and equipment, not including computers.

The Canadian institution receives $300 CAN per student or researcher to cover administration fees once the scholarship recipient arrives in Canada.

Payment Procedure

Subject to the terms and conditions of the Contribution Agreement, funding will be disbursed by cheque to the Canadian institution following receipt of the following supporting documents:

• Contribution Agreement signed by both the designated signing authority at the Canadian institution and the designated authority at DFAIT; and
• Cash Flow Statements submitted by the Canadian institution as per the arrival of selected students or researchers to Canada.

Scholarships will be disbursed to the recipients according to the Canadian institution’s internal processes and in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Contribution Agreement.

All funds, including the administrative fee, must be returned to the scholarship program administrator, the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE), if the student does not take up the scholarship.

Eligibility

Students must be citizens of one of the following eligible countries:

Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Kitts, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos.

Students:

• who have obtained Canadian citizenship or who have applied for permanent residency in Canada are not eligible;
• already participating in an exchange program in Canada are not eligible;
• already enrolled in a degree or diploma program at a Canadian university or college are not eligible;
• must be enrolled full-time at a post-secondary institution in an eligible country and paying any tuition fees regulated by that institution for the full duration of the exchange; and
• must be proficient in the language of instruction at the Canadian institution (English or French).

Terms and Conditions

An application submitted that does not meet the following terms and conditions may not be considered for a scholarship.

The Canadian post-secondary institution:

• must be recognized by its provincial or territorial government;
• may submit more than one application and may be asked to rank their applications based on its strategic priorities at the time of the selection process;
• must waive tuition and/or academic fees for selected students and researchers, as scholarship recipients must be registered full-time and paying tuition to their home institution; and
• will be required to provide qualitative and quantitative reports during the scholarship period.

Selected Students:

• must engage in full-time studies or research as defined by the Canadian institution;
• may not normally hold any other major scholarship granted by the Government of Canada
• enrolled in courses must arrive in Canada by September for the fall semester or by January for the winter semester; and
• conducting research must arrive in Canada for the uptake of their award between July 2013 and the first week of the January 2014 academic term. Failure to arrive during this time may result in the cancellation of the scholarship.

Important information:

• For college and undergraduate applications, a written agreement or understanding between the Canadian institution and the candidate’s home institution must be in place at the time of application.
• For graduate applications, an inter-institutional agreement is desirable but not mandatory. If there is no existing exchange agreement, graduate applications which involve a new or established collaboration between professors from a Canadian and the student’s home institution will be accepted.
• Applications submitted directly by a student or their home institution will not be accepted.
• Scholarships cannot be deferred and are not renewable.
• Priority will be given to candidates who have not previously studied in Canada under a Government of Canada scholarship.
• Sholarships are not taxable for either the institution or the student.

Arrival in Canada

Scholarships recipients must arrive in Canada for the uptake of their award between July 2013 and the first week of the January 2014 academic term.

Deadline for students and non-Canadian institutions

he deadline for students will vary with each Canadian institution. Canadian institutions are advised to establish an earlier deadline with students and their home institutions to ensure timely receipt of supporting documents.

Interested students are encouraged to check with both their home institution and the Canadian institution for their respective internal deadlines.

Deadline for Canadian institutions

The deadline for Canadian institutions to submit online applications on behalf of students is 11:59 p.m. EDT, April 17, 2013.

It is the responsibility of the Canadian institution to ensure that supporting documents are received by the deadline. Supporting documents, other than those requested, will not be accepted.

Notification

Canadian institutions will be contacted in May 2013 by the scholarship administrator regarding the status of their application(s).

Canadian institutions with successful applicants will receive a contribution agreement for the administration and disbursement of scholarships to students.

Application Process

Instructions

Applicants are encouraged to read the instructions below carefully before beginning the online application.

Canadian institutions must:

• identify a single person responsible for the administration of the program and who will be informed of results of the program;
• complete the online application form on behalf of each student. Canadian faculty or staff members who are submitting applications must notify the person responsible for the administration of the program at their respective institution as institutions may be requested to rank their applications;
• enter the information directly into the field or copy and paste it from another source. Applicants should refrain from using the tab keys when entering the information directly. Certain web-based special characters such as HTML tags may cause unpredictable results in the text, or prevent successful submission of an application. The information will appear as plain text;
• enter data in the fields provided, following instructions for each item (the official name of the student’s home institution must be provided in their national language);
• verify the data prior to submission and check the declaration and permission box; and
• click SUBMIT for the online application. A confirmation page and reference number will appear after submission.

Supporting Documents

The following documents must be uploaded and attached to the online application form in one of the following formats: .pdf, .jpg, .doc, .docx, .txt or .gif. Each document must be smaller than 5 Mb in order for the application to upload successfully.

• Letter of intent: a short letter in English or in French from the student describing the nature of his/her research or studies to be undertaken and explaining the rationale for study in Canada and for the choice of institution, program and supervisor. The student must also indicate how the proposed program of study or research will relate to his/her future career (maximum one page).
• Privacy Notice Statement: a copy of the Privacy Notice Statement for non-Canadian participants signed by the student.
• Proof of citizenship: a copy of the student’s passport or national identity document with valid dates; a baptism certificate is not accepted as proof of citizenship.
• Proof of full-time enrolment: a short letter in English or in French from the home institution, on official letterhead, dated within the last six months. This letter must confirm that the candidate is currently enrolled in a full-time program and will continue to be enrolled upon their return. Copies of transcripts, a student card or letter of admission are not acceptable (maximum one page).
• Letter of support from the home institution: a short letter in English or in French from the student’s instructor, professor or international director at the home institution explaining the nature of study and how the candidate and the home institution will benefit from this scholarship program (maximum one page).
• Memorandum of Understanding or agreement between the Canadian and student’s home institutions: a signed copy of this document is mandatory for undergraduate and college applications. For graduate applications, if the exchange is made under a signed agreement, it is strongly suggested that it be included with the application.
• Letter of invitation: applications for graduate students must include a letter from the Canadian supervisor indicating his/her willingness to support and mentor the candidate (maximum one page).

Selection Process

All online applications received by the deadline that meet the eligibility requirements will be reviewed and evaluated for a scholarship. Should the number of scholarships requested surpass the funding available, the Canadian institution may be asked to rank its eligible applications based on its institutional strategic priorities.

Applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• academic merit of the proposed research or study that the student will undertake in Canada;
• benefit to the home institution, supervisor and peers;
• benefit to the Canadian institution, supervisor and peers; and
• strength of the linkages to be created through the proposed exchange.

Conditions

The scholarship administrator is not able to provide feedback for unsuccessful candidates.

These scholarships are subject to the availability of funding from the Government of Canada.

Background

In 2007, Prime Minister Harper announced the Canada-CARICOM Leadership Scholarships Program to enhance the skill sets required to advance the development and sustainability of CARICOM countries while strengthening the linkages between postsecondary institutions in Canada and those in the region.

The Canada-CARICOM Leadership Scholarships Program is an extension of the Canadian Commonwealth Scholarships Program and includes all member and associate member states of the CARICOM.

The scholarships also advance Canada’s objectives for the Americas: democratic governance, peace and security and prosperity in the region.