Custodianship in Prince Edward

Custodianship in Prince Edward

All international students who decide to study in Prince Edward Island’s secondary schools without a parent must have a custodian to take care of them in place of their parents. Hence, parents of international students need to know more about the custodianship in Prince Edward. But before discussing the main topic, it should be outlined the peculiarities of the province and its school system.

Overview of the Province

Prince Edward Island is one of the thirteen Canadian provinces and territories, with a centre in Charlottetown. The province has several nicknames, including Garden of the Gulf, Cradle of Confederation, and Birthplace of Confederation.

Prince Edward Island is the smallest province by land and population. The total area of the island is 5,660 km2, where about 167,680 residents live. The biggest ethnic group includes people of Scottish, English, Irish, French, German, and Dutch descent. Chinese Canadians are the biggest visible minority group in the province. In addition to the two official languages, English and French, the languages of the minority are Mandarin, Arabic, Dutch, German, and Spanish.

The backbone of Prince Edward Island’s economy is farming since it produces 25% of potatoes in the country. Other important industries are fisheries, aerospace, bioscience, IT, renewable energy, and tourism. Tourists from all over the world enjoy a variety of leisure activities, such as sandy beaches, golf clubs, eco-tourism adventures, countryside tours, and cultural events in local communities around the island.

Secondary and Post-Secondary Schools in Prince Edward

Prince Edward Island’s public school system has an English school district, called the Public Schools Branch, and a Francophone district, called the Commission scolaire de langue française. The Public Schools Branch includes 54 elementary schools and ten secondary schools, while the Commission scolaire de langue française has six schools covering all grades.

Charlottetown Rural High School, Morell Regional High School, Kensington Intermediate Senior High School, Three Oaks Senior High School, Bluefield High School, Kinkora Regional High School, Souris Regional School, Colonel Gray Sr. High School, Montague Regional High School, and Westisle Composite High School are English-speaking public secondary schools of the Public Schools Branch that draw the attention of minor international students.

Schools managed by the Commission scolaire de langue française include École Évangéline, École François-Buote, École La-Belle-Cloche, École Pierre-Chiasson, École-sur-Mer, and École St-Augustin.

Grace Christian School, Immanuel Christian School, and Mount Academy are private secondary schools in the province. Moreover, all the above mentioned public and private high schools require custodianship in Prince Edward for minor international students.

Speaking about post-secondary education, Prince Edward has two public colleges, Collège de l’Île and Holland College. Holland College is famous for its specialized facilities, including the Marine Training Center, Atlantic Police Academy, and the Culinary Institute of Canada. Prince Edward is also home to the private post-secondary school, Maritime Christian College.

The University of Prince Edward Island is the only public post-secondary university in the province. It also manages the Atlantic Veterinary College, which offers only the veterinary medicine program. Post-secondary schools do not require custodianship in Prince Edward for international students under 18 years old. This decision is at the discretion of immigration officers.

Minor Students in Prince Edward

Each province and territory of Canada determine the age when an individual can be considered an adult. In legal terms, it is called the age of majority, and a person under the age of majority is a minor. In Prince Edward Island, the age of majority is 18. Hence, parents of minor international students must use custodianship in Prince Edward.

Overview of Custodianship in Prince Edward

Since parents or legal guardians take care of the minor children, they need to ensure the same attitude during their stay in Canada. Usually, minor international students come to the country with at least one of their parents or legal guardians. Foreigners who do not accompany their children ought to find out more about the custodianship in Prince Edward.

According to Canadian law, a custodian must be a permanent resident or a citizen of the country who is over 19 years old and speaks English. Moreover, the appointed custodian ought to live within a reasonable distance of the minor’s school and intended place of residence. Parents should find a person who undertakes responsibility for the minor international student. For instance, they can approach an extended family member or a business partner residing in Canada and ask them about custodianship in Prince Edward. Parents who do not have relatives or acquaintances in Canada can hire a local service provider that deals with custodianship in Prince Edward.

Under the regulations of custodianship in Prince Edward, custodians do not bear responsibility for the minor’s actions in school and in the community. However, they have other responsibilities under custodianship in Prince Edward.

1. Custodians ought to inform the school about the host family’s contact information updates.
2. They should control that the international students are properly treated by the school and government bodies.
3. Custodians need to be mediators between minors, parents, school, and host family.
4. With the help of school counselors, they should help international students to resolve academic issues.
5. Custodians may to attend school meetings regularly.
6. They must sign documents on behalf of the minor’s parents.

There are also monitoring obligations of custodians under the custodianship in Prince Edward.

1. They should visit a minor international student and a host family after the child’s arrival.
2. Custodians need to help the minor to adjust to the Canadian culture and customs.
3. They ought to help the student in scheduling the assessment test, orientation, registration, and school counselor meetings.
4. Custodians should keep a record of the student’s academic achievements.
5. They must advocate for the minors on issues with the host family, school attendance, and other disputes.
6. Custodians need to assist the international student in applying to a secondary or post-secondary educational institution of the student’s choice.
7. They ought to help a minor in study permit renewals and provide the school with copies of valid documents.
8. Custodians must ensure that international students have valid health insurance.
9. They must help the minor international student to buy a phone, open a bank account, and apply for a credit card.
10. Custodians ought to be available to the minor international student 24 hours, seven days a week.

Declaration of Custodianship in Prince Edward

Once the prior arrangements have been made, parents and an appointed custodian ought to sign the Declaration of Custodianship in Prince Edward. The document includes two pages that look similar, but the first page ought to be signed by the custodian and notarized by a lawyer or notary in Canada. The second page must be signed by the parents or legal guardians of the minor international student and notarized by a lawyer or notary in their home country.

Once the declaration is complete, parents or legal guardians need to send the minor’s study permit application along with the Declaration of Custodianship in Prince Edward to the office of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. While minor international students under 17 years old are obliged to have a custodian, the applications of students who are 17 to 18 years old are assessed on a case-by-case basis.

To make a decision whether Custodianship in Prince Edward is required, officers in charge can ask to send additional documents or pass an interview. There are several factors that officers consider before deciding on Custodianship in Prince Edward necessity.

1. They check the intended level of study of the minor international student.
2. Officers analyze the minor’s level of independence, such as the previous studies abroad and living arrangements.
3. They check the travel experience of the minor student.
4. Officers study the financial capacity of minors, such as scholarships or government sponsorship.
5. They evaluate the accessibility of the parents in case of emergencies.
6. Officers check whether informal arrangements have been made to support and take care of the minor student during their stay in Canada.

 

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