All countries have regulations governing employment, whether for their own citizens or for foreign visitors. In order to obtain employment in a country where an individual is not a citizen, it is necessary for that individual to obtain authorisation to undertake employment, e.g. a work permit or visa, prior to entering the country. Ease of access to work permits varies depending upon the country, the discipline they are studying or whether they are part of an exchange scheme. In almost all cases, contact is made through the country's immigration authority, often most easily accessed through its nearest consulate. Programs with access to the Internet may find The Embassy Page very useful, as it provides access to embassies and consulates for most countries around the world! Visit their homepage at http://www.embpage.org/
| Cautionary Tale: Romantic attachments have formed on a regular basis resulting in some 'unexpected visitors' when students return home. Marriages resulting from international co-op placements are not uncommon. |
Processing times vary, as do fees, supporting documentation, forms and jargon. The various terms used to describe the permit include: work authorization, work permit, work visa, traineeship and visa. Attitudes displayed by consulate staff toward co-op practitioners can range from indifference to tolerance and enthusiastic support. This author has endured waits of six months for work permit approvals to come through, yet an exchange partner succeeded in having one approved in only 24 hours (a personal record yet to be repeated!).
With few exceptions, the survey respondents indicated the most common method for procuring work permits was to leave it up to the individual student to pursue, often with support from the institution or the hosting employer. Some programs have sufficient numbers of international placements that their institution would have staff dedicated to such activity. In some cases the staff specialized in permits for specific countries only. It is clear that such activity is very time consuming and often represents a 'make or break' situation for international placements. Yet the issue of work permits was not rated by the experienced practitioners as being in the top three of important factors for success. This suggests that this problem is being solved on a regular basis.
Here are some examples of work permit regulations by country:
Students entering Australia for co-op employment will require a Temporary Residence Occupational Trainee visa. This class is intended for persons who wish to undertake a "supervised training program that is workplace based, rather than classroom-based, and that has been designed specifically to add to, or enhance, a person's level of skill in their present occupation or area of expertise". Students must be nominated in Australia by a sponsoring Australian firm or the Australian branch of an international organisation. The sponsorship comes in the form of the typical offer letter co-op practitioners are accustomed to receiveing. This letter must be presented to the Australian Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs before the visa application can be accepted at an overseas office.
Programs in Canada that undertake exchange agreements with foreign programs can register their Memos of Understanding with the International Youth Exchange Programs division of Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. Upon receiving approval, the Canadian hosting institution can obtain valid Canadian Work Authorizations for foreign students entering Canada for their work terms. This approval is based upon the requirement that the incoming foreign student's employment leads to an employment opportunity for a Canadian citizen abroad. Exchange agreements based upon a reciprocity of co-op placements meet this requirement. An example of a Memo of Understanding document is shown later in IV: Getting Started. In this scheme, the student must obtain the Work Authorization from the Canadian Consulate in their home country before entering Canada. More information about the Exchange Programs in Canada can be obtained by visiting their website: http://www.dfait-maecgi.gc.ca/.
Foreign students already in Canada and registered in co-op programs are able to convert their student visas into work permits once the co-op placement details have been worked out. At the end of the period of co-op employment, the students can convert the work permit back to a student visa for their return to campus. Such dealings are done at the local Canada Immigration Authority and require supporting documentation from the educational institution.
Co-op programs placing students in Japan report that it takes between two and three months for the processing of the Cultural Activities Visa required for entry. There are employer-related documents and student-related documents required for the application process. The receiving employer must provide a Certificate of Eligibility to the Japanese immigration authority. The student must complete a Visa Application Form (available from a Japanese Consulate) and send it with supporting documentation to the nearest Japanese Consulate. Supporting documentation includes: university transcript, resume, Certificate of Studentship (university-generated letter confirming student's full-time status), Letter of Declaration (confirmation that the placement is related to the student's educational objectives and will end with the student returning to their home country), photographs and a valid passport. The student must enter Japan within three months of receiving his or her Visa and cannot renew the visa or stay longer than twelve months. Upon arrival in Japan, the student must apply for a Permit To Engage In Other Activities, required when receiving a salary or living allowance.
Students entering New Zealand will also require a Work Visa in order to obtain temporary employment for their co-op placement. Application forms can be obtained from a New Zealand Immigration Branch, Embassy or High Commission. The documentation required includes a written offer of employment outlining job title, description of duties, qualification/experience required, length of employment, salary and evidence of the student's qualifications for the job. If done through an exchange, letters from both universities outlining the exchange details must be included.
The Department of Employment Overseas Labour Service, located in Sheffield, is responsible for the issue of work permits for students who are not in the UK, otherwise this becomes a matter for the Home Office. Applications are made on a WP2 form under the Training and Work Experience Scheme (TWES) which gives details about the employer, the period of employment, the work program and salary. If this application is approved, the work permit is issued to the sponsoring organisation for delivery to the student. If a student who has been nominated for a co-op work placement arrives without this permit, he or she will not be allowed to enter the UK. If the application is made through an 'approved' scheme, the normal processing time of up to six weeks can be significantly reduced. 'Approved' status for an international co-op placement scheme may be granted by the Overseas Labour Service on the basis of a written submission giving full details of the agreed basis of operation and the number of students involved. Reciprocity is an important factor in this respect. Different conditions apply to foreign students enrolled on co-op programmes at UK universities.
ACIP: American organization which charges the employer $1,000 administration fee, arranges placements in the US for out of country students. The website address for this organization is: http://www.aipt.org/aipt.html.
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A Guide for Developing International Co-op Programs |  |