Study As a Pathway to Canadian Immigration

Studying in Canada as a pathway to Canadian Immigration is considered to be one of the most feasible among very many options by umpteen students across the globe. Canada, over the past few decades has taken the centre stage when it comes to foreign education and immigration. This beautiful country offers a plethora of opportunities to aspiring candidates who hope to either pursue foreign education, work abroad or even settle outside of their native country. Deciding to study in Canada will not only give you the pathway to Canadian Immigration, but also provide you with an access to world class education as it is home to the top ranked colleges and universities for under grads and graduates respectively. It gets very convenient for international students to quickly acclimatize to the different aspects of the country due to its contemporary infrastructure, latest technological advancements, cosmopolitan culture and more.

Why consider Study as a Pathway to Canadian Immigration?

Among multiple reasons to choose Canada for receiving international education, some of the most lucrative ones are as follows:

1. Opportunity to work while studying in Canada– Aspiring students have plenty of job opportunities when they are pursuing their studies in Canada. This will not only help them gain Canadian work experience but will also benefit them in various aspects like enhancing their language skills which will eventually help in scoring higher bands at the time they apply for PR in Canada, adapting to the work environment of the country, mingle with the people around, acclimatize to the weather etc. Having minimum of one year work experience in their home country along with Canadian education and the current work experience, all put together will definitely increase their chances of getting PR under various immigration programs.
2. Open Work Permit for spouse– International students who select Canada as their study abroad destination can also accompany their respective spouses on the basis of Open Work Permit Visa. This will allow the spouse to work in Canada and gain valuable job experience. On these grounds, you can apply for Canada PR which can lead to greater chances of getting yourself a Canadian PR status.
3. The advantages of Post Graduate Work Permit- Post Graduate Work Permit is an efficient path when it comes to working in Canada after finishing studies over there. International students post their course completion are allowed to work in Canada for up to 3 years on the basis of PGWP Visa. By bridging this Canadian education into meaningful full-time work experience, it’s a golden chance for candidates to attain Permanent Residency in Canada as Canadian work experience adds to the CRS score further.

      4. Aspiring candidates fall eligible to apply under the below mentioned Canadian permanent residency programs-

• Canadian Experience Class (CEC): This program is one of the fastest routes towards acquiring Canadian permanent residency which is functioned by the Express Entry immigration system. It is inevitable to have a minimum of 12 months of uninterrupted, full time skilled work experience or an equivalent amount of part-time work experience in Canada within the provided 3-year time period. The most important thing to consider while trying to be eligible for CEC program is that the work experience attained while studying full-time does not count.
• Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSW): This program can be considered by some of the foreign student graduates where they do not require to have Canadian work experience like CEC. However, the FSW program does ask for the applicants to hold a minimum of 12 months of continuous full-time or an equivalent part-time work experience received from any other country. It works on the basis of merit by using the points-based Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score which shortlists the candidates with highly competitive profiles and who comply with the eligibility criteria of the program requisites. This makes FSW a great pathway to Canadian Immigration.
• Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs): Unlike the two above mentioned Canadian immigration programs, Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) work in a way where each of Canada’s provinces run its individual immigration program in order to cater to the needs of that particular province. Candidates who have some specific type of link to a particular province like finishing their studies from that province or work experience of that province are more likely get preference over others when applying for its PNP program.
• Quebec Immigration Programs: There are a couple of main types of this program.

        1) Quebec Experience Program (PEQ)

To qualify under this, international students need to either have finished their studies or are in their final 6 months of completing their studies at a university in Quebec. Also, they should exhibit their intermediate to advanced French Language speaking fluency to be eligible.

       2) Quebec Skilled Worker (QSW)

This one is for the foreign students who have either finished their educational courses or are currently enrolled in to any of the study programs in the province. Dissimilar to PEQ, QSW does not ask for French language fluency but students need to be fulfilling the minimum score requirements set by the program.

      5. Benefits of taking up Medical Courses– Being a Medico in Canada always have an edge over the other aspirants. The demand for doctors has increased three-fold in Canada. Medicine is probably the single most sector of the Canadian Labour Market where vacancies for fresh jobs are added almost every day, especially after the COVID-19 Pandemic. The overall Employment for Surgeons and Physicians is anticipated to rise by nearly 13% in Canada in the coming years.

Start off with Study as a Pathway to Permanent Residency Status in Canada.

International students who are either planning to attain their further education in Canada, currently studying there or have finished their education most of the times attempt to apply for Canadian Immigration to permanently reside in Canada with respect to the requirements of the Canadian Immigration Program for which they choose to apply. The most favourable facet of the Canadian Immigration Program is that candidates can apply for a Canadian work permit as well Canadian permanent residency simultaneously which is known as “dual intent”.

Which Programs offer Work Permit for International students in Canada?

Working in Canada while you are studying is possible for you provided your study permit mentions a condition which implies that you are eligible to work on campus or off campus. You can begin to work in Canada once you commence your studies in addition to other requirements. You are not allowed to work before starting or after finishing your study program.

It is vitally important for you to be well aware of the fact that in spite of having a student visa and the permission for international students to work in Canada, certain program refrain from allowing you to work there. These programs particularly include Language Programs under which you are not allowed to apply for a work permit while studying in Canada.

Gladden yourselves!

Despite these constraints, there are programs at your rescue which grant you a work permit while studying in Canada so that you have exposure to multiple international student job possibilities which you can take advantage of and apply to work for.

These programs include;

1. Vocational Programs- These types of programs are quite popular among the natives and non-natives (Foreign students) of Canada. Such programs are designed to condition you with specific skills which are relevant to the Canadian Labour market. You can proper training and practise for the same. Upon successful completion of the program, you become a certified degree holder in that skill which enables you to straightaway delve into the job market.
2. CO-OP Programs- This is one of the most luring alternatives for international students who are considering study as a pathway to Canadian immigration. These are definite programs structured for you to have work experience in different sectors before you face the heat of the real work scenario. To obtain this, you will receive an academic training and practice by the companies in the sector you elect to work for. A co-op program is apt if you are worried about having insufficient work experience. This feature of the program makes it most sought after option for international students to dive into the Canadian Labour market.
3. University Programs-These type of programs offered by Canadian universities are meant for undergraduate, masters and doctoral degree students. Several private and public institutions are available for international students to gain education in such diverse careers. Technology, Finance and Business sectors are highly recommended in the cities of Vancouver and Toronto respectively. Certain factors like enrolment requisites of universities and cost of living in such areas play a vital role though.

Different types of Work Permit available for International students.

International students who have enrolled themselves in a Canadian university or institution with a valid study permit have multiple job prospects for working in Canada. While not all jobs ask for a work permit from foreign students, majority of the off-campus jobs do necessitate a work permit, however few of them are subject to specific work permit/LMO exemptions. Given below are the options of work permit for international students:

1. On Campus Work Permit- Foreign students pursuing full time education at a Canadian private or public college or university with a legit study permit do not necessarily require a Canadian work permit to work on campus.
2. Off Campus Work Permit- International students who are studying full time in Canada with a valid Canada study permit may possibly be approved to work off the campus with the condition that their institution is a part of the off campus work permit program through Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC).
3. CO-OP and Internship Work Permit- This type of work permit is for those international students whose study program in Canada form a crucial part of the planned employment as per their academic institutions. The work duration of this program may comprise of up to half of the time duration of their study course.
4. Post-Graduate Work Permit- To qualify for this particular type of work permit, foreign students should have finished their graduate degree for any course from a Canadian university with a minimum time period of eight months. The validity of the Canadian work permit is mostly similar to the validity of your Canadian study permit.
5. Work Permit for the Spouse of a Foreign Student- If an International student is accompanied by his/her spouse with a legitimate Canadian study permit, then the spouse is also permitted to a Canadian study permit or an open work permit without requiring an employment offer or Labour Market Opinion.

Canada strives to ease the amalgamation of international students into the Canadian community, thereby offering ample work opportunities to students who are in search of work in Canada. These work permits for part time jobs enable foreign students to attain valuable work experience while allowing them to support their expenses while studying in Canada. Studying and working in Canada will not only help you establish business contacts for the future but will also serve as a pathway to Canadian Immigration.

Frequently Asked Questions.

1. What is Post Graduation Work Permit (PGWP)?

After finishing their studies in Canada, foreign students seek job opportunities to work there. The Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) is an open work permit which allows such students to work in any Canadian organisation within the extent of the permit. Moreover, you don’t have to have a job offer from a Canadian employer beforehand neither do you need a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) from the Employment and Social Development Canada to be eligible to apply for a PGWP.

2. What is the Eligibility criteria for a Post-Graduation Work Permit?

As an International student, to be able to apply for Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP), you need to meet certain eligibility criteria which are as follows:

• Your study permit must have been valid at any given point in the previous period of 180 days i.e. 6 months, must hold a valid visitor record.
• You must either have submitted an application for your study permit extension or to modify your status to ‘visitor’ before expiry date of your study permit while your application is yet to be approved.
• You must have successfully accomplished a study program offered by a Designated Learning Institute (DLI) in Canada.
• The duration of your study program must have been of at least eight months which could grab you either a degree, diploma or a certificate.
• During the entire course of your study program, you must have been a full time student in Canada, barring the permitted leaves of up to 150 days and a part time final semester.
• You must have graduated from any of the following four categories:
• A public post-secondary school like a college, a trade or technical school, a university or a CEGEP in Quebec.
• A private post-secondary school in Quebec that follow the exact rules as the public ones in Quebec.
• A private secondary or post-secondary school in Quebec which offers 900 hours or more to be qualified as a vocational studies diploma holder or similar recognition.
• A Canadian private school that can assign degrees under provincial law with respect to the condition that you have enrolled yourself in a study course which will fetch you an authorized degree issued by the province.

3. How many hours can international students work in Canada?

At the time of your regular school term or semester, you are allowed to work for up to 20 hours in a week. It depends on you whether you want to utilise these hours for only one job or more than one provided you abide by the conditions of your study permit. However, you are eligible to work for full time if you are on a scheduled break like summer and winter holidays or a spring or fall reading break. Apart from this, you can even work overtime that adds up to more number of hours. In order to work full time before and after the break, it is necessary for you to be a full time student at a Canadian university. You cannot work in a break which falls before the beginning of your very initial semester.

Conclusion:

Taking all the above mentioned aspects in to consideration, considering study as a pathway to Canadian Immigration is the most viable alternative for international students all across the globe to obtain highest grade of education, gain international work experience and eventually settle down and make Canada your home. This country has so much to offer in terms of well-established infrastructure, world class medical facilities and insurance policies, post study work permits, open work permit and not to forget the top-notch education system. All these attributes make Canada a perfect place for anyone aspiring to receive foreign education and settle abroad, which is exactly why it is the most favourite study abroad destination of students from every corner of the world.