The land of the maple leaf offers several immigration programs for graduates of Canadian universities
20/2/0
Unfortunately, as Daltus.com notes, immigration system reforms in recent years have significantly complicated this process, resulting in the effective suspension of the popular Skilled Worker Class immigration program. Therefore, those who wish to immigrate to Canada should consider other options. In particular, one of the most reliable and promising paths is immigration through provincial immigration programs to Canada and studying in the country with subsequent employment.
Federal Program Canadian Experience Class
Given that the Canadian government currently focuses its immigration policy on attracting graduates of Canadian educational institutions (especially those who have gained work experience), studying at Canadian universities provides good chances of obtaining permanent resident status upon graduation. There are several immigration programs aimed at graduates of Canadian colleges and universities.
The main program for graduates is the federal Canadian Experience Class, which requires one year of work experience in Canada. Other requirements are not as critical, except one: the work must be of a certain level involving high qualifications. That is, you cannot work on an assembly line or as a store salesperson – such experience will not be counted.
One might ask, what does studying have to do with it if the Canadian Experience Class requires a year of work in Canada? The point is that obtaining a regular work permit in Canada is very difficult for a foreign worker. Besides Canadian employers being extremely reluctant to hire foreigners, the process of arranging a job offer is quite complicated.
Canadian employers face strict requirements regarding the number of current employees, revenue, etc. Most importantly, the employer must prove to the Ministry of Labour and Development that they cannot find such a worker in Canada and obtain a special permission from the ministry to hire a foreign worker. However, after graduating in Canada, obtaining a work permit is much easier.
Graduates of Canadian colleges and universities receive a so-called "open work permit" under the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program after graduation. It is issued for a period equal to the length of study, but no more than 3 years. An "open permit" means the graduate can take any job without needing additional permission from the Ministry of Labour and Development.
A Canadian university diploma, an open work permit, work experience in Canada during internships – all this makes the graduate a quite sought-after specialist in the Canadian labor market. And if their specialty is in demand, they can find a job fairly quickly, and after working for 12 months, apply for immigration under the Canadian Experience Class.
Therefore, when choosing a program at a Canadian educational institution, one must always consider the chances of employment after graduation and whether the work will be at a level suitable for immigration under the Canadian Experience Class. Good employment prospects are offered by finance and technical disciplines, biochemistry, and information technology.
Provincial Programs
In addition to the federal Canadian Experience Class program, there are several programs in individual provinces also aimed at graduates of Canadian educational institutions. Conditions vary, but the common requirement is that the graduate must have a job offer in that province.
To apply for immigration, students must meet the following requirements:
* Have graduated from a Canadian college or university in a program of at least 2 years (if a Bachelor degree was obtained), or at least 1 year (if a Master degree was obtained), or if the condition for obtaining this education was requiring a Bachelor degree already;
* The job offered must be permanent, full-time, with pay not less than the industry average for that specialty. Students do not necessarily need any work experience.
Requirements apply to provinces: Ontario (International Student Category), British Columbia (International Graduates), Newfoundland and Labrador (International Graduate).
* In some provinces, in addition to a job offer, the graduate must have worked at least 6 months full-time for the employer that made the job offer.
Requirements apply to provinces: Alberta (International Graduate Category), Manitoba (International Student Stream), Saskatchewan (Students – Post-Graduation Work Permit Stream and Master’s and PhD Graduate Stream), Nova Scotia (International Graduate Stream).
However, there are programs that allow obtaining permanent resident status upon completion of studies without the need to find a job. They are aimed at university graduates who obtain higher education levels such as Master degree or Ph.D, which usually implies continued work in the research sector.
Very often, such programs (mainly PhD programs, or combined Master degree and PhD programs) are funded by universities from their own funds or through grants. That is, students enrolled in such programs have the opportunity not to pay anything. Moreover, they can receive payment if they are engaged in research that is important to the university, and/or work part-time as a professor's assistant for work with students.
Canada is interested in retaining such specialists. Therefore, several provinces have recently begun offering programs that allow individuals with a Master degree or PhD education to apply for immigration without work experience and, most importantly, without a job offer. That is, they can qualify for permanent resident status in Canada simply because they have obtained a PhD or Master degree. The duration of study must be at least 2 years for a PhD, and at least 1 year for a Master degree.
In addition to the provinces, a similar program exists at the federal level – for individuals who have obtained a PhD degree from a Canadian university or have studied in such a program for at least 2 years, a separate stream is allocated within the Federal Skilled Worker Class immigration program.