Emerging Leaders in the Americas (EPLA) Program

Competition: Closed for the 2022-2023 academic year






Who submits the application: Canadian post-secondary institutions




NOTE: Only Canadian institutions can submit applications on behalf of applicants. They may choose to set their own internal deadlines for submitting supporting documents.




Description: The Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program (ELAP) provides students from post-secondary institutions located in Latin America and the Caribbean with short-term exchange opportunities to pursue studies or conduct research in Canadian post-secondary institutions at the college, undergraduate and graduate level.




List of tabs

1.Guidelines

The financial contribution to the ELAP is provided by Global Affairs Canada under its official name, the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD).




2.Scholarship Value and Duration

The Canadian institution will obtain funds from DFATD for all selected scholarship recipients in the form of a contribution agreement. It is up to him to distribute these funds to the scholarship recipients.




The values of the scholarships vary according to the level and the duration of the studies:




CAD 8,200 for college, undergraduate and graduate students (masters and doctorate), for a period of four months or one semester of study or research; Where

CAD 11,100 for graduate students (Masters and PhD), for a study or research period of five to six months.

In addition to the funds allocated to scholars by DFATD, Canadian institutions will receive CAD 500 per scholar to cover part of the administration costs upon the scholar's arrival in Canada.

In some cases, institutions may be eligible for reimbursement of additional employer compliance fees paid to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.




3.Eligible expenses

Funds from the scholarship must be used to cover:




fees for obtaining a visa or a study or work permit;

the cost of airfare, for the scholarship holder only, in economy class and by the most direct route;

health insurance costs;

ground transportation costs, including public transit passes; and

the cost of books and supplies required for the scholar's research or studies, excluding computers and other equipment.

The Canadian institution will receive funds from DFATD in the form of a contribution agreement and disburse funds to awardees in accordance with its internal processes.




If a recipient does not receive the scholarship, then Canadian institutions will be obligated to return all funds, including administration fees, to DFATD.













Value and duration

Applicant Eligibility

Applicants must be:




4.citizens of eligible countries;

Caribbean: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Cuba, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Montserrat, Dominican Republic, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands;

Central America: Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, El Salvador;

5. North America: Mexico;

South America: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela; and

enrolled full-time in a post-secondary institution in an eligible country/territory and pay tuition fees to that institution at the time of application and for the entire duration of the exchange.

Applicants are not eligible:




whether they hold or are currently applying for Canadian citizenship or permanent residence;

if they are already participating in an exchange program funded by the Government of Canada; Where

if they are already enrolled in a program of study at a Canadian post-secondary institution leading to a degree, diploma or certificate.

Canadian Post-Secondary Institution Eligibility

The Canadian post-secondary institution must:




be a Designated Learning Institution (DLI);

have a valid student exchange agreement with the applicant's home institution. This agreement must exempt scholarship recipients from tuition fees. For research internships at the college and undergraduate level, if such an agreement does not exist, a letter issued by the international office of the Canadian institution, or its equivalent, will also be accepted; and

inform the applicant and their home institution of any mandatory fees that, in exceptional cases, cannot be waived, prior to submitting a scholarship application on behalf of the applicant.







Eligibility




Selection criteria

Complete applications that meet the eligibility requirements will be assessed according to the following criteria:




the relevance of the studies or research pursued in Canada;

the benefits to the home institution and their peers;

the benefits for the Canadian institution, the supervisor and their peers;

the strengthening of the links created within the framework of the exchange; and

the ranking submitted by the Canadian institution.

Note: Priority will be given to applicants who have never received a scholarship under the Canada-CARICOM (Leadership) Scholarships Program, the Canada-Chile (Leadership) Exchange Scholarships and the Emerging Leaders in Americas.







Candidacy




All nominations are submitted by the Canadian institution on behalf of the nominees. Canadian institutions are advised to read the guidelines carefully before proceeding with the online application. Further information is available on the Canada International Scholarships Application Help page.




Instructions for Canadian Institutions

Institutions experiencing difficulty completing or submitting a form should contact: scholarships-bourses@cbie.ca.




Canadian institutions must:




Complete an online application for each candidate.

Establishments that do not have an account must first Register an account.

After accessing their account, the institution must select the Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program in the “For Non-Canadians” section and click on “Apply”.

Institutions can save the form and complete it later. Routed requests and saved requests will be displayed on the institution's profile page.

Complete all required fields and follow the instructions for each one.

The candidate's name must be the same as the name on their passport.

The official name of the applicant's home institution must be provided in the language of their home country/territory.

Upload all necessary documents.

Verify data before submitting.

Click on SUBMIT. After receipt of the form, an acknowledgment of receipt and a reference number will be communicated to the establishment.

Obtain a hard copy of their application for their records by using the browser's "print" function.

Supporting documents

For the application to be successfully uploaded, each document must be less than 5 MB in size and must be in one of the formats: PDF, JPEG, DOC, DOCX, TXT or GIF.




Institutions must ensure that the documents are complete, accurate and in accordance with the instructions. Revised papers will not be accepted after the deadline.




Proof of citizenship:

a copy of the candidate's passport or national identity card with a photo and valid dates

documents that do not constitute admissible proof of citizenship are: a driver's license, a permanent residence card, a work permit, a student card, a health insurance card, a birth certificate or a certificate of baptism

the citizenship proof selected must be from the same country/territory as the citizenship selected in the online application form

Privacy Statement: A copy of the Non-Canadian Participant Privacy Statement signed by the applicant and dated within six months.

Applicant letter of intent (maximum one page):

describing the nature of the studies or research that will be carried out

explaining their reasoning for studying in Canada, justifying their choice of Canadian institution, program and supervisor, and indicating how the proposed program of study or research will contribute to their future career

Letter proving full-time enrollment at the home institution (maximum one page):

written on official paper with the letterhead of the establishment

dated less than six months

Letter of support from home institution (maximum one page):

written on official paper with the letterhead of the establishment

dated less than six months

written by the course leader, professor or international director of the candidate

explaining the nature of the studies offered in Canada and how the candidate and their institution will benefit from this scholarship program

written on official paper with the letterhead of the establishment

dated less than six months

signed by the Canadian supervisor

affirming the will of the Canadian supervisor to support the candidate and to act as a mentor for him throughout the period of the exchange

clearly stating and highlighting that tuition will not be charged

applications for research internships at the college or undergraduate level without a pre-existing memorandum of understanding may include a

Key dates

Insight

In 2009, the Government of Canada announced the Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program (ELAP) to foster human resource development and foster a new generation of leaders in the Americas while strengthening relationships between Canadian post-secondary institutions and those of Latin America and the Caribbean.




These scholarships also support Canada's objectives towards the Americas, namely democratic and accountable governance, human rights, the environment, diversity and indigenous peoples.




Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program (ELAP) scholarships are made possible through institutional collaborations and student exchange agreements between Canadian post-secondary institutions and their partners located in eligible countries/territories.




Roles and responsibilities

Canadian post-secondary institutions

Canadian institutions:




submit applications on behalf of eligible applicants;

promote this scholarship opportunity to their faculty and staff, as well as to their partner institutions in eligible countries/territories;

rank their requests according to their strategic priorities;

designate a staff member who will be responsible for the administration of the program;

sign a contribution agreement with DFATD and disburse scholarships to successful applicants; and

submit qualitative and quantitative reports during the fellowship period.

Scholarship applicants

Candidates interested in this scholarship program must:




communicate with their home institution to express their interest;

determine if there is already a collaboration or exchange agreement between their home institution and a Canadian institution;

find out from their home institution about the application process and the selection criteria specific to the Canadian institution; and

ensure that you meet the eligibility criteria.

Post-secondary institutions from eligible countries/territories

Post-secondary institutions in eligible countries or territories must:




communicate with partner institutions in Canada to confirm or explore institutional collaborations and student exchange agreements;

promote this scholarship program through their international offices;

identify candidates who meet the eligibility criteria and admission requirements of the Canadian partner institution;

transmit to the Canadian partner institution, which is responsible for submitting the scholarship applications, all the documents in support of the candidates; and

advising selected candidates to upgrade their language, academic and intercultural skills before departure.

Successful candidates

Fellows undertake to:




pursuing full-time studies or research, as defined by the Canadian institution;

arrive in Canada to benefit from the scholarship between August 1, 2022 and February 1, 2023 at the latest. Failure to arrive during this time interval may result in the scholarship being cancelled;

refrain from participating in clinical training and clinically oriented research involving direct patient care;

have the primary objective of full-time study or research while in Canada; and

return to their home institution after the scholarship period to complete their studies.

Additional Information

The scholarship administrator will not provide feedback to unsuccessful candidates.

Scholarships cannot be postponed and are not renewable.

Scholarships are subject to the availability of funding from the Government of Canada.

Scholarships are not taxable, neither for the Canadian institution nor for the scholarship holder.