Welding is a rewarding, challenging career with lots of well-paying job prospects even in Canada. You’ll hardly find a career path that allows you to easily switch to another industry like welding does. Whether it’s in construction, manufacturing, shipbuilding, power generation, etc, welders are needed to build and maintain the infrastructure that keeps our world running.
You can also decide to specialize in a particular area such as a pipe welding specialist in the oil and gas industry, a structural welder building bridges, or even an underwater welder. Due to the demand for skilled welders across the country, foreign students are also joining the bandwagon.
The best part is there are lots of welding schools in Canada for international students that provide top-notch welding training under state-of-the-art facilities. Also, you can look into some welding schools for international students in other reputable countries like the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Ireland etc.
In this blog, we will not only list these schools, but also provide their location, their tuition fee, and also the program length. Let’s get started.
Welding Schools in Canada for International Students
1. Vancouver Island University (British Columbia)
- Program Length: 7 months
- Location: 900 Fifth Street, Nanaimo, BC, V9R 5S5
- Tuition: $3,425.87 (7 months x $489.41 per month)
VIU welcomes lots of international students to their programs including this Welding program. This is amongst the welding training institutes in Canada for foreigners that provide a 28-week introductory program in welding. That prepares students for entry into this industry amongst other welding programs.
Welding graduates from VIU usually find employment in shipyards, fabrication shops, and a variety of construction industries.
2. Ontario Colleges
Several colleges in Ontario offer different kinds of welding programs for international students. Their programs usually come in two ways;
- A one-year welding certificate program that can help students fast-track into apprenticeships with an overview of welding techniques.
- A two-year welding diploma program, such as a welding technician or inspection program, can give you a broader depth of knowledge in the field before you begin your apprenticeship.
3. Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology (MITT)
- Program Length: 1 year
- Location: 130 Henlow Bay, Winnipeg, MB R3Y 1G4
- Tuition:
- $6,516 (Canadian Students)
- $17,850 (International Students)
MIIT is one of the welding schools in Canada for international students that provides an Industrial Welding certificate program that only lasts for one year for full-time students. The program will help you to build a strong foundation of the knowledge and skills required to design and build products by cutting and joining materials using ferrous and non-ferrous materials.
4. Saskatchewan Polytechnic
- Program Length: 1 year
- Location: Offered at all four of their campuses across the province: Moose Jaw, Prince Albert, Regina, and Saskatoon.
- Tuition:
- $9,510 (Canadian Students)
- $21,217 (International Students)
Saskatchewan Polytechnic is one of the schools that provide a one-year welding certification program in Canada, where you’ll build knowledge and skills in operating welding equipment and performing basic welding operations.
5. Conestoga College – Welding and Fabrication Technician (Ontario)
- Program Length: 2 years
- Location: 299 Doon Valley Drive, Kitchener, Ontario N2G 4M4, Canada
- Tuition:
- $2696 (Canadian Students)
- $14163 (International Students)
This is among the welding training institutes in Canada for foreigners that provide a two-year Welding and Fabrication program. The program will help you to follow metal fabrication projects from the computer-aided engineering drawing (CAD) stage, through to the cutting and forming processes of piece parts, to the fitting, welding, and inspection of fabrications.
6. Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) – Welding and Fabrication Technology
- Program Length: 2 years
- Location: 1301-16 Avenue NW, Calgary AB, T2M 0L4
- Tuition:
- $10,500 (Canadian Students)
- $19,572 (International Students)
SAIT is one of the welding schools in Canada for international students that provides access to modern welding facilities and equipment and networking opportunities with industry professionals and potential employers.
7. Fanshawe College – Welding and Fabrication Technician (CO-OP)
- Program Length: 60 weeks
- Location: Blvd. London, Ontario Canada N5Y 5R6
- Total Cost of Program:
- $7,885.80 (Canadian Students)
- $32,252.56 (International Students)
At Fanshawe’s new state-of-the-art welding lab, instruction will incorporate emerging technologies and welding processes such as virtual/augmented reality, robotics pulse, and pulse robotics welding to provide the best education you need.
8. Niagara College Canada – Welding Technician
- Program Length: 1 and 2-2.5 years
- Location:
- Welland Campus: 100 Niagara College Boulevard, Welland, Ontario L3C 7L3
- Daniel J. Patterson Campus: 135 Taylor Road, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario L0S 1J0
- Tuition:
- $5,334.48 per year (Canadian Students)
- $18,179.50 per year (International Students)
You can either choose Niagara College’s one-year Welding Techniques or their 2-2.5 years Welder Apprenticeship program.
9. Humber – Welding Techniques
- Program Length: 2 semesters
- Location: Blvd., Toronto, Ontario, Canada M9W 5L7
- Tuition:
- $5,512.95 (Canadian Students)
- $17,803.01 (International Students)
Humber is among the welding schools in Canada for international students that expose their students to topics including health and safety, blueprint reading and sketching, shielded metal arc welding, gas metal arc welding, etc.
10. Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC)
- Program Length: 2 years
- Locations: Their welding program is offered in Dartmouth, Yarmouth, Stellarton, Port Hawkesbury, and Sydney
- Tuition:
- $3,620 (Domestic Students)
- $11,690 (International Students)
Just like most other best welding colleges for foreign students in Canada, NSCC will teach you how to read and interpret blueprints and welding process specifications, gain knowledge of metallurgy and codes, and learn about the effectiveness of using different equipment for different welding processes, etc.
11. Northern College
- Program Length: 1 and 2 years
- Location: 140 Government Rd E, Kirkland Lake, ON
- Tuition:
- $2,720.56 per year (Canadian Students)
- $14,382 per year (International Students)
Northern College provides both a 2-year Welding Engineering Technician program and a 1-year Welding Fitter (Mechanical Technician) program.
12. Fleming College – Welding and Fabrication Technician
- Program Length: 4 Semesters
- Location: 599 Brealey Dr. Peterborough, ON, K9J 7B1
- Tuition:
- $2261.96 per semester (Canadian Students)
- $8757.92 per semester (International Students)
This program will teach you how to select and apply welding processes and troubleshoot welding equipment. How to use a variety of destructive and non-destructive methods to test welds and acquire advanced skills in fitting and fabrication, etc.
13. St. Lawrence College – Welding and Fabrication Technician
- Program Length: 2 years
- Location: 2 St. Lawrence Drive, Cornwall, Ontario, K6H 4Z1
- Tuition:
- $2,721.36 per year (Canadian Students)
- $15,960 per year (international students)
St. Lawrence College is among the welding training institutes in Canada for foreigners that deliver welding technology at the technician level and prepare students for the welding industry’s demands.
14. Sheridan
- Program Length: 1 & 2 years
- Location: 7899 McLaughlin Road, Brampton, Ontario L6Y 5H9
Sheridan provides both a 1-year Welding Techniques program that will teach you SMAW, GMAW, GTAW, and FCAW. And a 2-year Welding and Fabrication Technician who will teach everything in Welding Techniques plus other advanced techniques including flat, horizontal, vertical, and overhead welding.
15. Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT)
- Program Length: 2 years
- Location: 11762 – 106 Street Edmonton, AB, Canada, T5G 2R1
- Tuition:
- $253 per credit hour (Domestic Students)
- $743 per credit hour (International Student)
Our list of welding schools in Canada for international students wouldn’t be complete without mentioning NAIT due to the provision of an Advanced Welding Technology program that goes beyond the Alberta Welder Apprenticeship training. Just like the name it combines advanced technical knowledge, welding skills, and exposure to modern technologies to give a graduate the competitive edge into a career in welding.
16. George Brown College
- Program Length: 1 year
- Location: 175 Kendal Avenue, Toronto ON M5R 1M3
- Tuition:
- $8,447 (Domestic Students)
- $19,084 (International Students)
In one year George Brown College will be able to educate you in welding techniques with the help of their state-of-the-art welding lab featuring 26 stations and virtual welding simulations.
17. Sault College
- Program Length: 1 year
- Location: 443 Northern Ave, Sault Ste. Marie, ON Canada, P6B 4J3
- Tuition:
- $2,716.50 per year (Domestic Students)
- $15,469.40 per year (International Students)
This is among the welding certification programs in Canada that will teach you how to read, understand, and develop the blueprints alongside other welding processes like SMAW or stick welder, GMAW or MIG welder, etc.
Key Takeaway
As we said earlier, Canada is one of the best countries to study in as an international student even for aspiring welders, especially for their world-class education system and strong job market.
Remember, regarding the cost of studying, we only listed the tuition fees which didn’t factor in some of the other additional costs like accommodation, application fees, expenses, etc. If you find an interesting school, you are free to go through their official website to learn more about their admission requirements, and cost of studying. Most of them still offer scholarships.
