Internship in the US while Applying for Non-EE PNC PR Application

[ahussein]

Hi,

I am a full-time international PhD student in BC who just received a nomination through the BCPNP to apply for the PR (Non-EE Stream) Through the international post-graduate stream. I will submit my PR application within the next two weeks.

Last week, I received an offer letter from a big US company for an internship this summer. I will be working in person which means I will have to be away during this internship period. However, my address in BC will be sustained throughout this period and I will be back every other weekend to visit my family. I will be doing this internship under the "industrial internship" course through my university, which means I will be also maintaining my full-time status as a graduate student.

Question: Will this harm my PR application? Does this violate my declared intention to live in BC? Again, I am still a full-time graduate student and this internship is in coordination with my school, of course.

Thank you!

 

[canuck78]

Hi,

I am a full-time international PhD student in BC who just received a nomination through the BCPNP to apply for the PR (Non-EE Stream) Through the international post-graduate stream. I will submit my PR application within the next two weeks.

Last week, I received an offer letter from a big US company for an internship this summer. I will be working in person which means I will have to be away during this internship period. However, my address in BC will be sustained throughout this period and I will be back every other weekend to visit my family. I will be doing this internship under the "industrial internship" course through my university, which means I will be also maintaining my full-time status as a graduate student.

Question: Will this harm my PR application? Does this violate my declared intention to live in BC? Again, I am still a full-time graduate student and this internship is in coordination with my school, of course.

Thank you!

Would suggest consulting with a lawyer. Likely being upfront about this internship to IRCC but proving this is a temporary period of residence abroad may be the best option so you don’t appear to be hiding time spent living in the US. Although you can keep your BC address as a mailing address you would be a resident of the US during the internship period. Planning on returning to Canada 2 weekends a month (which may not actually be possible) doesn’t make BC your address. How long have you been studying? Is the summer internship part of the required curriculum?

 

[ahussein]

Would suggest consulting with a lawyer. Likely being upfront about this internship to IRCC but proving this is a temporary period of residence abroad may be the best option so you don’t appear to be hiding time spent living in the US. Although you can keep your BC address as a mailing address you would be a resident of the US during the internship period. Planning on returning to Canada 2 weekends a month (which may not actually be possible) doesn’t make BC your address. How long have you been studying? Is the summer internship part of the required curriculum?

@canuck78

Thank you so much! To further clarify, I am not just keeping my address in BC, but my spouse and my child will stay in BC and it will just be me traveling for the internship as both are attending schools in BC. So, my ties to BC are still concrete. The internship is in WA so I guess traveling twice a month is not that hard (or is it? )

I have been studying since Sept 2021 (this is 3.5 years) where I earned my master's and then followed up with my current PhD studies, both in BC.

Regarding whether the internship is required or not, I am quoting from a letter provided by my university in an earlier stage of my studies:
"The student has been approved for an Industrial Internship at UNIVERSITY_NAME. It is required that students enrolled in the Industrial Internship Program, at UNIVERSITY_NAME, participate in work terms that constitute an essential and integral part of the student’s course of study at UNIVERSITY_NAME in order that they may receive their graduate degrees including Doctoral...."

I am just concerned this is a violation of my nomination either by counting this as leaving BC (again, my spouse and child are staying, and I would be still enrolled in my university) or by the change of employment (despite I would officially be still a full-time student with my university).

 

[canuck78]

@canuck78

Thank you so much! To further clarify, I am not just keeping my address in BC, but my spouse and my child will stay in BC and it will just be me traveling for the internship as both are attending schools in BC. So, my ties to BC are still concrete. The internship is in WA so I guess traveling twice a month is not that hard (or is it? )

I have been studying since Sept 2021 (this is 3.5 years) where I earned my master's and then followed up with my current PhD studies, both in BC.

Regarding whether the internship is required or not, I am quoting from a letter provided by my university in an earlier stage of my studies:
"The student has been approved for an Industrial Internship at UNIVERSITY_NAME. It is required that students enrolled in the Industrial Internship Program, at UNIVERSITY_NAME, participate in work terms that constitute an essential and integral part of the student’s course of study at UNIVERSITY_NAME in order that they may receive their graduate degrees including Doctoral...."

I am just concerned this is a violation of my nomination either by counting this as leaving BC (again, my spouse and child are staying, and I would be still enrolled in my university) or by the change of employment (despite I would officially be still a full-time student with my university).

You have ties to Canada but you would still be considered living and working in the US during your internship. This is a very specific situation and IRCC is being very strict so I would still suggest consulting a lawyer. I would assume they may suggest being very upfront with IRCC about the internship in the US while stressing your ties to Canada and the temporary nature of the internship.

 

[scylla]

Hi,

I am a full-time international PhD student in BC who just received a nomination through the BCPNP to apply for the PR (Non-EE Stream) Through the international post-graduate stream. I will submit my PR application within the next two weeks.

Last week, I received an offer letter from a big US company for an internship this summer. I will be working in person which means I will have to be away during this internship period. However, my address in BC will be sustained throughout this period and I will be back every other weekend to visit my family. I will be doing this internship under the "industrial internship" course through my university, which means I will be also maintaining my full-time status as a graduate student.

Question: Will this harm my PR application? Does this violate my declared intention to live in BC? Again, I am still a full-time graduate student and this internship is in coordination with my school, of course.

Thank you!

IMO there is no issue with this.