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If you are a full-time international student working inside Canada, you should be aware that 99% of the time your work experience does NOT count for most Federal and provincial immigration programs. There are a few exceptions to this rule which we will explain in this article.
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Everyone already knows or should know that under Federal Express Entry, no matter if you’re applying under the Federal Skilled Worker Class (FSW), the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), or the Federal Skilled Trades category (FST), any work done before you graduate successfully and apply for a post-graduate work permit DOES NOT count even if it’s paid.
If you’re in the province of Ontario, Alberta, BC, or Manitoba – their provincial programs DO NOT count any work experience while you’re a full-time student, in case you intend to apply for your PR under their provincial nominee programs.
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There could be some exceptions in which your work experience while you study in Canada could count towards your Canada PR:
The program is the Saskatchewan work experience sub-stream for students.
If you have graduated from an approved school in this province, and you had a paid employment on or off-campus for a minimum of 6 months while you were studying, you would meet the eligibility criteria to apply for PR when obtaining a job offer from an approved Saskatchewan employer. Of course, minimum settlement funds are also required like for most immigration programs.
Here is just a quick summary of the work experience eligibility criteria for this program:
1: You’ve graduated from a recognized post-secondary institution in Saskatchewan (this immigration hack does not apply to you if you completed your studies in another province although you still can apply but with different criteria).
2: You have a minimum of 6 months of paid work experience which also includes paid coop.
3: The job that you are using to apply under this program should be related to your field of study and in NOC 0/A/B unless it’s in the hospitality sector that it is exempt.
4: No language requirement is needed if you have a job offer in a NOC 0, A, or B – and if it’s in NOC C then you need a CLB 4 in either French or English
Do you want to know if you’re eligible for the Saskatchewan Immigration Nominee Program? Get a FREE assessment with us and find out! Click here.
For the Provincial Nominee programs in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland, any paid work experience, while you are on a study permit as a full-time international student, does not count for their immigration streams. However, the Atlantic Immigration Program which is specifically designed for these 4 Atlantic provinces has options available for international students.
1)You can claim paid work experience as an international student who was full-time with a valid study permit pursuing an academic program anywhere in Canada before moving to the Atlantic provinces and receiving a valid job offer from a designated employer on the AIP list. It only requires a minimum of 1-year work experience (1560 hours) and your paid part-time work experience on or off-campus while you’re a student does count.
2)If you are going to or already graduated from any public post-secondary school in one of the 4 Atlantic provinces and pursued a minimum 2-year program, you can be exempt from any work experience when you have received a job offer from a designated employer under the AIP. That’s great news for any international students in those 4 provinces who are not studying at a private college or a 1-year program at a public college.
Do you want to know more about the Atlantic Immigration Program? Watch our YouTube video! Click here.
Yes! You can apply for Canada PR without any job experience. Find here some options for you to consider:
1)The Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot could be an alternative! Under this program, international students are eligible only if they have completed their degree at an approved post-secondary institution in one of the participating towns/communities within the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot. There are specific criteria to be met, but you would be exempt from any work experience under this program if you are an international student in those rural regions.
2)The Ontario Provincial Nominee Program for international students and Post-Graduate Stream.
3)BC Provincial Program Skilled worker stream although it’s literally impossible to gain enough points to be selected if you don’t have a job offer or work experience, the International Graduate Stream does allow you to apply without a job offer or work experience right after graduation (so does Newfoundland and Ontario with similar programs).
Find out more about the Ontario Provincial Nominee Program for international students, watch our YouTube video, click here.
At INGWE Immigration our team speaks over +8 languages, and we help applicants from over +47 countries with their plans to immigrate to Canada either through a work permit, study permit, or processing of their PR applications. Get a FREE assessment now, click here.
