The CANUKE Scheme
  
ASET has drawn up an agreement with its equivalent body in Canada – the Canadian Association for Co-operative Education (CAFCE) for an exchange scheme to support the mobility of students between Canada and the UK through work placements. Through the agreement, ASET will provide its members with university contacts (co-operative education co-ordinators) in Canada who are interested in exchanging students on work placements, enabling links to be established between placement officers in the two countries and agreements made to exchange students. Once partners have secured work placements, ASET and CAFCE provide an administrative service to secure the necessary work authorisation/permits.
Who is Eligible?
• Participating UK HEIs must be members of ASET (a list of current ASET member institutions can be found here).
• Participating students must be registered on a course at a UK HEI and the placement/work-based learning element must be an integrated part of their course.
• Participating students must be UK passport holders.
Who Secures the Work Placements?
Once partners (work placement
officers) are identified in the two
countries, UK placement officers will find placements for Canadian students
in the UK, whilst the Canadian partner will find placements in Canada for UK
students. If a student has already found their own job then they may still participate in the scheme, subject to the discretion of the partner in the other country.
What are the Benefits of the ASET/CAFCE Exchange Scheme?
The agreement made by ASET and CAFCE has been approved by both the UK and Canadian governments and makes the process of obtaining the necessary work permits and work authorisations easier and quicker. Outside of the agreement students going to work in the other country can experience difficulties with security screening; by using the CANUKE process this can be circumnavigated and work permits obtained with less complications.
Also by participating in the exchange programme you will have access to ASET and CAFCE's ongoing support services and a network of contacts in all parts of Canada.
How to Register for the Scheme
UK practitioners who want to become involved with the scheme and add themselves to the list of interested UK participants (for Canadian practitioners to access) should complete this form and return it to ASET. You can check our current list of UK participants here to see if anyone in your institution is already involved.
Note to Students
CANUKE exchanges must be set up by your placement officer. If you would like to participate please highlight this scheme to them. Please do not though attempt to contact other practitioners directly, as they will not be able to assist you.
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Establishing an Exchange Partnership and Canadian Students Coming to the UK
 
Establishing an Exchange Partnership:
• It is recommended that placement officers (UK) and co-op co-ordinators (Canada) form a partnership to exchange work placement students on broadly similar courses of study. A list of interested Canadian participants can be requested from ASET (aset@asetonline.org) or found on the CAFCE website here (www.cafce.ca).
• The first point of contact will be the International contact. These are listed in the Co-op Program Directory on the cafce site homepage, where you can search by province and school. The contacts are listed at the end of each page. If no contact is listed you should approach the Director or Associate Director of Co-op, who will direct you to the right contact.
• Whilst the scheme is broadly based on reciprocity (though with flexibility and at the discretion of the partners), it does not mean that students have to be exchanged in the same period (start date and duration of placement). For example, a Canadian partner may be able to place a UK student for 12 months and accept a 4-month or 8-month placement in return at a different time of year.
• It is recommended in the first instance to agree to place 1 or 2 students each way.
Once a partnership has been formed and an agreement made to exchange:
• Exchange of course details/placement information and other relevant information between both parties.
• Pre-selection/nomination of candidate(s): careful selection of candidate for placement in Canada. Set ground rules: UK students should NOT be allowed to apply for any other placements whilst Canadian application is live.
• Paperwork of candidate sent to partner: CV (including photograph); academic tutor reference; supporting statement from student stating why interested in placement in Canada. Types of placement sought. Any other supporting material.
Finding a placement in the UK for Canadian student:
• Information on Canadian student (as above) sent by partner.
• Applications made to UK employers (recommended to use specifically selected ‘regular’ contacts).
• Telephone interview can be arranged if employer shows interest.
• Offer made to student.
• Application process for permit/visa: 'Government Authorised Exchange Workers (Tier 5 Temporary Worker)'. The link below gives instructions and link to an on-line application form. www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/workingintheuk/tier5/governmentauthorisedexchanged/. There is a fee of £100 charged to process the application.
• Permit sent to student in Canada to obtain necessary visa/entry documentation.
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UK Students Going to Canada
 
The following checklist is to ensure that at each stage of the application process for employment authorisation for a placement in Canada:
1. Find a placement in Canada (found by partner institution).
2. Letter of offer of employment letter to student from Canadian employer with the EXACT beginning and end dates of the placement period. The letter must also give the salary details.
3. ‘Letter of Introduction’ from partner/host institution to Canada Immigration, requesting that the visiting student be issued with a ‘Letter of Work Authorisation’ to enter Canada as a work exchange student under the CANUKE Agreement.
4. Letter of support from ‘home’ university (stamped with official university seal/stamp). Confirming that the home student is entering Canada on the CANUKE student exchange programme, the exchange is a compulsory and integral requirement of the course, the student will return to the UK at the end of the placement to complete the final year of the degree course.
5. Copy of CANUKE agreement (this will be supplied by ASET).
6. Completed IMM1295 form (available from Canadian High Commission website):
www.cic.gc.ca/english/study/work-coop.asp.
7. Letter to the Canadian High Commission in London, enclosing items 2-6 with completed checklist.
Other items required:
i) Two passport sized photographs (with name and D.O.B printed on back).
ii) Photocopy of the relevant pages of passport. Passport must be valid for a minimum of six months after departure from Canada.
There is a fee for this process which in some cases can be claimed back.
8. Stages 1 to 7 enable application for ‘Letter of Introduction/Employment Authorisation’ to be made. This is presented at port of entry in return for work permit/visa.
9. Obtain Employment Authorisation Confirmation (this should take 2 to 3 weeks after stage 8).
10. Book flights. Obtain Insurance.
11. Security Clearance is required for placements in public sector/federal government involving CRB check etc. This process can take up to 6 weeks.
CONTACTS:
Canadian High Commission: 020 7258 6699
Website: www.cic.gc.ca/english/study/work-coop.asp
Canada House: 020 7258 6600
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Canadian Practitioners
A list of the UK practitioners who may be interested in establishing partnerships, as well as more specific notes on the exchange, can be obtained from CAFCE (www.cafce.ca) or accessed here.
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