Applicant from PhD program after 5 Nov, 2011 connect here to get status

[Feb2004]

Is it important to provide salary figures for all the years of work experience? In my case I am showing only the last year's salary in my experience letter. I plan to send a supplementary letter soon and will also attach the tax return for that one year. My experience is from back home, I don't have salary statements/tax documents for all the 6 years of work experience.

 

[yunshi]

Check your transcript. It should be mentioned whether or not you're a full-time student for a particular term. Besides, if you are currently under study permit, they won't let you work on campus if you are not a full-time student.

Your attestation letter (which should be issued by the graduate studies office, and stamped by university seal; attestation letter by department will NOT be accepted) should prove that you are currently in a good academic standing as per the school's definition (whatever that means). If you are willing to take the risk, you can add the phrase "full-time" somewhere within your attestation letter, but better not mess with their wording.

So international PhD students are full-time by default and do not need to prove 15 hours/ week? So did every one (currently still a PhD student with only has 2+ years of PhD education in Canada) get this 5 points from adaptability?

 

[kaziahmmed]

Prepare a new latter and update them as quick as possible.

Some suggestion:

- Make sure to include a sentence like : XXXX assisted me as a research assistant in the XXXX area and his main duties were as follow"
- It is better to exclude a sentence like "His work in my lab is part of his doctoral research" I remember that the officer reasoned a rejection by saying that "the letter has no indication that you assisted the professor and it was just toward completing the dissertation. I know this looks stupid but I think it would be better if you exclude the following sentence from your letter.
- Also try to add some more duties. Do not be afraid to copy paste from NOC website.

Good luck

Hi Kuzey--
Did you get any response from them after sending the updated reference letter? I emailed them by asking whether they have received my documents or not but they didn't reply yet . I send the hard copy on May 23rd and email them on 3rd June.

 

[kuzey]

Hi Kaziahmmed,

I did not send any inquiry. I recently sent two updated letters to CIC, once in May 17 and the other one in June 03. I did the same (email it and sent the hard copy in the same day with tracking and signature). I assumed that they would not respond so I did not send any inquiry. I think it should be fine. Think positive I hope that FA01772 had a wonderful weekend and he or she would treat us kindly.

Hi Kuzey--
Did you get any response from them after sending the updated reference letter? I emailed them by asking whether they have received my documents or not but they didn't reply yet . I send the hard copy on May 23rd and email them on 3rd June.

 

[kuzey]

I do not think that anyone would be awarded 5 points of adaptability for 2+ years of PhD even based on new operation manual. At least it is a high risk to depend on these magical 5 points.

So international PhD students are full-time by default and do not need to prove 15 hours/ week? So did every one (currently still a PhD student with only has 2+ years of PhD education in Canada) get this 5 points from adaptability?

 

[costel]

I also applied for temporary visa, after hearing that I am not welcome to Canada as a PR. I was told today to send in the passport, and from what I understood it takes like 3 weeks to get it back. I will also leave Canada on 16th July.

My question: what if I need some piece of ID in this interval? Of course, I can't afford a car, thus I have no driver's licence, neither some other canadian document. So, in short, I cannot prove my identity.

 

[Luigiovemma]

I also applied for temporary visa, after hearing that I am not welcome to Canada as a PR. I was told today to send in the passport, and from what I understood it takes like 3 weeks to get it back. I will also leave Canada on 16th July.

My question: what if I need some piece of ID in this interval? Of course, I can't afford a car, thus I have no driver's licence, neither some other canadian document. So, in short, I cannot prove my identity.

If you're talking about the TRV from within Canada, don't worry. I get the passport back in 3 days...It should be very fast if you're in Canada.

 

[kaziahmmed]

Hi Kaziahmmed,

I did not send any inquiry. I recently sent two updated letters to CIC, once in May 17 and the other one in June 03. I did the same (email it and sent the hard copy in the same day with tracking and signature). I assumed that they would not respond so I did not send any inquiry. I think it should be fine. Think positive I hope that FA01772 had a wonderful weekend and he or she would treat us kindly.

Thanks Kuzey. Yes what we can do but hope . I am heartily praying for you and for all of us who got the early POF request and so far in the group nobody got rejected who got the POF request. So, I really wish to believe they send the document request (POF) to all the applicants after convincing themselves that these applicants passed the work experience hurdle. I think in early 2012, to process the application more quickly they decide to send document request to all those applicants whose application reach at VO and their they probably make a short review to confirm the potential candidates. The reason I am guessing all these since I have submitted my wife PCC along with the application but still they asked her PCC and my POF even on early 2013. If they just wanted to cover all the documents then they would ask only for the POF, i.e., they definitely had a quick review by that time.The applicants who applied in early 2012 by this time (when they probably changed their processing technique) those applications might be already started treating in different manner therefore, they probably decide not to take any action on them and therefore these applicants got the doc request just couple of months before their MR or PPR. Although there is lot of guessing and assumption but trying to convince me in a logical manner .

 

[costel]

"who got the early POF request and so far in the group nobody got rejected who got the POF request."

I received POF and Police Clearance request in February 2013, and I was rejected in late May because as a RA/TA I repaired toilets (thus not matching the NOC description).

 

[kaziahmmed]

"who got the early POF request and so far in the group nobody got rejected who got the POF request."

I received POF and Police Clearance request in February 2013, and I was rejected in late May because as a RA/TA I repaired toilets (thus not matching the NOC description).

hmm. Then probably I am wrong. This is really ridiculous, just wasting our time and showing that they are busy with something serious. I really don 't know what to say, can't really concentrate on my work, can't sleep properly, its all messed up the life. They are just ruining our potential and career

 

[costel]

hmm. Then probably I am wrong. This is really ridiculous, just wasting our time and showing that they are busy with something serious. I really don 't know what to say, can't really concentrate on my work, can't sleep properly, its all messed up the life. They are just ruining our potential and career

They don't give a s*** on us anyway, so you'd better sleep. Of course, you should never make plans assuming a PR, if you can find a more friendly country, just go there! Their message is clear, we are regarded as a burden to Canada and they think they do us a huge favor by giving us the PR.

Obtaining the police certificate from my native country was a pain and it took 2 months and a half and many hours wasted. Since I am from Romania, any document between Canada and Romania must be notarized three times, otherwise it's not valid.

 

[beh467]

So international PhD students are full-time by default and do not need to prove 15 hours/ week? So did every one (currently still a PhD student with only has 2+ years of PhD education in Canada) get this 5 points from adaptability?

You can get a letter from university indicating that you have been enrolled as a full-time student for more than two years and you have maintained good academic standing. I think you can get it from office of the registrar.

 

[yunshi]

I do not think that anyone would be awarded 5 points of adaptability for 2+ years of PhD even based on new operation manual. At least it is a high risk to depend on these magical 5 points.

I am not sure if I am comparing the right files:

In OP06B: "b) Previous study in Canada:
 Award five points if the applicant or accompanying spouse or common- law partner completed a program of full-time study of at least two years' duration at a post-secondary institution in Canada, if this occurred after the age of seventeen and with valid study permits.
(The person is not required to have obtained an educational credential for these two years of study in Canada to earn the points, but simply to have completed at least two years of study.)"


While in OP06C, it became "R83(1)(b): Previous study in Canada (principal applicant)
 Award five points if the principal applicant completed at least two academic years of full-time study (in a program of at least two years in duration) at a secondary or post-secondary institution in Canada.
To be eligible for points, the principal applicant must have remained in good academic standing (as defined by the institution) during the period of full- time study in Canada. The applicant is not required to have obtained an educational credential for completing a program in Canada; they simply must have completed at least two years of study in a program of at least two years in duration."

So it seems to me that they changed from "complete a program..." to "completed at least two academic years of full-time...", although it is still open to interpretation

 

[asbereth]

I am not sure if I am comparing the right files:

In OP06B: "b) Previous study in Canada:
 Award five points if the applicant or accompanying spouse or common- law partner completed a program of full-time study of at least two years' duration at a post-secondary institution in Canada, if this occurred after the age of seventeen and with valid study permits.
(The person is not required to have obtained an educational credential for these two years of study in Canada to earn the points, but simply to have completed at least two years of study.)"


While in OP06C, it became "R83(1)(b): Previous study in Canada (principal applicant)
 Award five points if the principal applicant completed at least two academic years of full-time study (in a program of at least two years in duration) at a secondary or post-secondary institution in Canada.
To be eligible for points, the principal applicant must have remained in good academic standing (as defined by the institution) during the period of full- time study in Canada. The applicant is not required to have obtained an educational credential for completing a program in Canada; they simply must have completed at least two years of study in a program of at least two years in duration."

So it seems to me that they changed from "complete a program..." to "completed at least two academic years of full-time...", although it is still open to interpretation

Ya, the new rules no longer require an applicant to have completed a program, but rather, only two years of full-time study in Canada. Nobody so far has gotten these five points without a Canadian degree, but then again, we have not yet had any applicant who applied after May 4th 2013 just yet. I'm actually pretty confident that now all those eligible to apply under PhD stream would necessarily be eligible for these five points as well (unless you're only part-time in the program).

Attestation letter won't be enough, since the template contains no indication that you have completed two-years of full-time PhD study. But you can always get another attestation letter to show that you have been a full-time PhD student in these two years, and have been in a good academic standing, and that should prove it for immigration purposes to claim these five points for previous study.

 

[chakri264]

Ya, the new rules no longer require an applicant to have completed a program, but rather, only two years of full-time study in Canada. Nobody so far has gotten these five points without a Canadian degree, but then again, we have not yet had any applicant who applied after May 4th 2013 just yet. I'm actually pretty confident that now all those eligible to apply under PhD stream would necessarily be eligible for these five points as well (unless you're only part-time in the program).

Attestation letter won't be enough, since the template contains no indication that you have completed two-years of full-time PhD study. But you can always get another attestation letter to show that you have been a full-time PhD student in these two years, and have been in a good academic standing, and that should prove it for immigration purposes to claim these five points for previous study.

The Attestation letter template provided in CIC website indeed says that you have completed at least two years of study towards PhD. Am I wrong?
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/guides/pdf/PhD_Attestation_EN.pdf
Is it what you are talking about?