Guidelines
The Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program (ELAP) scholarships are facilitated through institutional collaborations and student exchange agreements between post-secondary institutions in Canada and in the following eligible countries/territories: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Bolivia, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Montserrat, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos, Uruguay, and Venezuela. These agreements are created between colleges, technical or vocational institutes and universities. Students, hereby referred to as "candidates", must be registered as full-time students in their home institution at the time of application and during the entire duration of their study or research stay in Canada.
Roles and responsibilities
Canadian post-secondary institutions
Canadian institutions are:
- responsible for submitting applications on behalf of eligible candidates from institutions in the eligible countries/territories; and
- encouraged to promote this scholarship opportunity to their faculty and staff members, as well as to partner institutions from the eligible countries/territories.
Canadian institutions with successful candidates:
- should identify one staff member responsible for the administration of the program and another one with delegated signing authority; and
- will receive contribution funding from Global Affairs Canada to disburse as scholarships to recipients.
Non-Canadian candidates from eligible countries/territories
Candidates 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 exchange program application process and selection criteria specific to the Canadian partner institution, and provide all required documents.
Selected candidates are encouraged to:
- submit their visa application as early as possible and follow the procedures of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada as outlined by the Canadian institution (generally a study permit is required for course work and a work permit is required for research);
- contact alumni of the program through their home institution for advice and a local perspective on the scholarship experience, if applicable;
- ensure that they fulfill the requirements of the Canadian institution including academic requirements and language proficiency; and
- initiate the process for the transfer of credits to their home institution as soon as their Canadian courses have been identified.
NOTE: Scholarship recipients are expected to return to their home institutions after the scholarship period in order to complete their studies.
Non-Canadian post-secondary institutions from eligible countries/territories
Non-Canadian institutions are encouraged to:
- communicate with partner institutions in Canada to confirm or explore institutional collaborations and student exchange agreements;
- promote this scholarship opportunity through their international offices;
- identify strong candidates who meet the admission requirements for the Canadian partner institution;
- provide the candidates' supporting documents to the Canadian partner institution, which is responsible for submitting the scholarship applications; and
- ask selected candidates to upgrade their linguistic, academic and intercultural skills before their departure.