How to Get Canadian Permanent Residence After your studies

Canada has a substantial share of the international student population. The IRCC or Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, the body that facilitates the arrival of immigrants into Canada, has estimated this figure to be around 6.4 lakhs in 2019. However, providing a Canadian Permanent Residence for all these student populations outright after studies will not be a feasible plan of action. And this is not the way how it is done in Canada. Gaining work experience is the right course of action. There are enough immigration programs that can facilitate your PR with proper experience and eligibility.

Express Entry, Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), and Quebec are the popular pathways for PR after studies. However, as mentioned earlier Canadian work experience is essential to ensure your eligibility. Most students by the termination period of their Canada Student Visa apply for PGWP or Post Graduation Work Permit. This enables them to gain valuable Canadian work experience. Thus they become eligible to apply for PR.

A comprehensive route map for a successful journey

Work Experience and PGWP

To start with, please ensure that the enrolled Canadian institution supports the PGWP scheme. With this scheme, a student has unlimited work permit to do any job with any employee. However, it is essential to gain skills that will match the student with the preferred job portfolio. It should correspond with the National Occupational Classification (NOC) skill level that will take them through the desired skilled worker immigration pathwa

Common PR Pathways

Express Entry: There are mainly three programs within this pathway. Gaining eligibility to one of them makes an applicant eligible to upload a profile on the IRCC website. They will rank the applicant with a CRS Score. CRS means Comprehensive Ranking System. It is scored based on age, education, work experience, etc. The highest-ranking applicants will receive an invitation to apply for Canadian permanent residence. The procedure is completed when IRCC receives a completed application within 60 days. In this pathway, the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) is a program that demands 12 months of Canadian work experience. Meanwhile, the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) gives opportunities for applicants with one year of professional work experience overseas.
PNP: Provincial Nominee Programme is an opportunity for applicants who wish to get Canadian Permanent Residence in a particular province or territory. This is mostly applicable to those who have local experience or contacts in that particular province.
Quebec: Quebec is a province in Canada that has its separate immigration policies. Studies at a Quebec institution, local work experience, and French language skills are expected for this pathway. The Quebec Experience Program is one of the channels available for international students to settle in this province.

Can an expat switch to a work permit before completing studies?

Yes, this is a possible pathway for Canada student visa holders. However, a Labour Market Impact Assessment based on the following requirements needs to be conducted.

A valid job offer
An employer supporting the student’s work permit application
A declaration from the employer that they can’t find any Canadian or PR holder to fill this role.

The applicant also has to inform IRCC and may even have to leave the country as there is a change in status. They can stay back in their home country until the work permit is granted.

Conclusion

The processing time for a Canadian Permanent Residence application can take up to 6 months. However, it is entirely dependent on the number of applications and type of work permit. You need patience and alertness to grab the best out of the opportunities provided.

A professional immigration consultant can provide valuable assistance in navigating this immigration process. As the Leading immigration Consulting Firm, Navigate Migrate is a reliable partner with unmatched expertise. For those seeking top advisors to guide them through the complex requirements for permanent residency in Canada, Navigate Migrate is the premier choice.