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

[cdhbamboo]

It is the bitter truth for all of us . I'm so anixous. I have my candidacy soon, and I'm waiting for this medical requests that doesn't come, and I will probably be the only one that will have to do additional exams because I got seriously ill in my first year here. So more expenses!

All of us will be fine. At least we can get PR after graduation. Hope you have had a good recovery and no additional exam is needed.

 

[TaylorWang]

Hi Guys, I am new here and plan to apply PR through this PhD program after this September. From what I know on CIC website and this valuable forum, I know I need to have 1 year full time paid working experience or equivalent part time one. And I plan to use RA to cover it. I will be my 3rd year of PhD by this September and will have 2 years of RA.Here is my concern:

1. At UBC, RA is named as Graduate Research Assistant, can I still use code NOC4012, (or 4122, what's the difference? it seems 4012 is new)?
2. My RA is paid by my supervisor through the human resource of the university. I only have T4A with some money deducted as tax. No T4. Does it count as working experience? Should I submit T4A in my application?
3. I know the work hours should accumulate enough and continuously for a year. I will work on that if my question 1 and 2 get yes.
4. Similarly, since I used to study in China for Master with RA for 3 years. (I come to UBC for PhD right after finishing Master, so I don't have a full time work in between). Can I also use this 3 years RA in China to meet the work experience requirement? But for this, I don't have T4 OR T4A. China doesn't have that tax form. I think I can only provide a kind of certificate/letter from my university for my Master, which says that I was in this university for 3 years under supervision of Prof. *** as a Research Assistant and get paid ****/month. And of course the duties of RA. But no T4/T4A OR equivalent tax/income forms. Is this kind of certificate/letter enough?
5. My wife is in Canada also. And I will be the principal applicant. Does she need to take IELTS?

Thank you very much to anyone who can answer my questions, especially 1 and 2. I saw a lot of discussions about whether RA(in my case, GRA) and T4A (no T4) count for work experience.

 

[hamed_hamed]

Hi Moonbow2010, for the letter, I followed the same format described in the Checklist IMM5483. Especially, I wrote every details about my job duties to closely match their job description (even though I rephrased the wording instead of using their word). Besides, I also provided my pay slips, contract, and tax forms. Hope it help.

I know some of my friends who applied before 2010and got their PR by now. They had the same situation like us and they did not have sufficient points without their overseas work experience.

I don't know why now they are so strict on our overseas work experience.

What else do they want as a work experience. Your duties were closely matched as you say, your pay slips, ...
So why they refuse it? Is it so negative view that they have about overseas work? No hope for any points from overseas work?

 

[hamed_hamed]

Is here anybody that got his/her overseas work experience accepted?

 

[moonbow2010]

I know some of my friends who applied before 2010and got their PR by now. They had the same situation like us and they did not have sufficient points without their overseas work experience.

I don't know why now they are so strict on our overseas work experience.

What else do they want as a work experience. Your duties were closely matched as you say, your pay slips, ...
So why they refuse it? Is it so negative view that they have about overseas work? No hope for any points from overseas work?

It is this ridiculous. I saw a lot of PhD students applied with less than a year of TA and no full-time work experience. They are on their way of citizenship or PR. But it was Buffalo processing all cases. They are generous on giving points for work experience.

Now it is Ottawa who took the job from Buffalo. They are more conservative and really strict on all PR applicants, not only FSW and also CEC.

I guess the driving force behind all these strictness is financial budget. If they let you in early before your graduation, they gonna to pay extra through student loans and health plans for international PhD students.

But after your graduation, it is you who pay the government taxes. The whole story will be quite different.

I know so far PhDapplicant's overseas work experience got recognized, because he provide all the relevant evidence.

There could be others.

 

[hamed_hamed]

Hi Guys
It seems that Ottawa has a different interpretation from this 5 points of adaptability, they send a reply to my email and again saying the same thing and confirm the rejection. this is their reply :

You were provided with the decision containing the reasons for refusal of this application in our message thereby fully concluding this application. I note that you did not complete a program of study in Canada as you are currently enrolled in the same course of study for which your current study permit was issued.

Okay, I think this is the end

What's the difference at the end? Don't we get adapted if we are currently in the same program? I feel completely adapted after these years.

Anyways, I think we have to write to them again in a similar manner to change their interpretation of the lines written in OP-6b.
There, they say having 2 years of study without completing the program is enough. Also nowhere it is said that studying under the program that our study permit is issued for is a problem or can make "previous study" experience nil.

 

[hamed_hamed]

It is this ridiculous. I saw a lot of PhD students applied with less than a year of TA and no full-time work experience. They are on their way of citizenship or PR. But it was Buffalo processing all cases. They are generous on giving points for work experience.

Now it is Ottawa who took the job from Buffalo. They are more conservative and really strict on all PR applicants, not only FSW and also CEC.

I guess the driving force behind all these strictness is financial budget. If they let you in early before your graduation, they gonna to pay extra through student loans and health plans for international PhD students.

But after your graduation, it is you who pay the government taxes. The whole story will be quite different.

I know so far PhDapplicant's overseas work experience got recognized, because he provide all the relevant evidence.

There could be others.

I think he said his over seas work is not recognized.

 

[moonbow2010]

To clarify
- Some of my work experience outside of Canada is counted. Some other experience is not counted since I was unable to provide a complete letter from former employers with details of my duties.
- My RA/TA is counted as work experience

I will try to call Ottawa tomorrow to "educate" them about the 5 adaptability points. I guess this PhD Stream is very new to them so not all reviewers in Ottawa is well-informed about that. I will keep you posted.

No, some of his overseas work experience was recognized.

 

[cdhbamboo]

1. At UBC, RA is named as Graduate Research Assistant, can I still use code NOC4012, (or 4122, what's the difference? it seems 4012 is new)?
2. My RA is paid by my supervisor through the human resource of the university. I only have T4A with some money deducted as tax. No T4. Does it count as working experience? Should I submit T4A in my application?
3. I know the work hours should accumulate enough and continuously for a year. I will work on that if my question 1 and 2 get yes.
4. Similarly, since I used to study in China for Master with RA for 3 years. (I come to UBC for PhD right after finishing Master, so I don't have a full time work in between). Can I also use this 3 years RA in China to meet the work experience requirement? But for this, I don't have T4 OR T4A. China doesn't have that tax form. I think I can only provide a kind of certificate/letter from my university for my Master, which says that I was in this university for 3 years under supervision of Prof. *** as a Research Assistant and get paid ****/month. And of course the duties of RA. But no T4/T4A OR equivalent tax/income forms. Is this kind of certificate/letter enough?
5. My wife is in Canada also. And I will be the principal applicant. Does she need to take IELTS?

1. Yes, use the one you think fit best.
2. yes.
3. yes
4. It depends on your situation. if without this RA in China, you can pass definitely, then it is not a good idea to provide some experience in China, which is very difficult to verify and time-consuming. IF it has to be counted, then try to provide a thorough picture of it.
5. No.

 

[TaylorWang]

1. Yes, use the one you think fit best.
2. yes.
3. yes
4. It depends on your situation. if without this RA in China, you can pass definitely, then it is not a good idea to provide some experience in China, which is very difficult to verify and time-consuming. IF it has to be counted, then try to provide a thorough picture of it.
5. No.

Thank you very much, cdhbamboo. I think I'd better not show my RA in China if my RA in Canada is enough for 1 year work experience. Because I am afraid I don't have sufficient documents for my RA in China. I will start to work on my application and IELTS.

 

[TyrusX]

Guys, work experience abroad is counted. Just need a complete and detailed list of your work experience. Thousands of people apply without ever being in Canada before.

 

[Shomo]

Thank you very much, cdhbamboo. I think I'd better not show my RA in China if my RA in Canada is enough for 1 year work experience. Because I am afraid I don't have sufficient documents for my RA in China. I will start to work on my application and IELTS.

I think it is a mistake if you don't list your RA in China. You can always write a cover letter explaining why you can't obtain complete documents for your work in China (if you really cannot). Maybe your Canadian work experience is enough and everything goes well. In that case you won't lose anything. But if you don't list it and for some reason, your RA in Canada is not enough then there will be no way you can add your Chinese experience afterward.

 

[Aaron2012]

It's weird the CIO hasn't update the cap for quite a while.

Any ideas of what's happening?

 

[L_Bloom]

Hello everybody,
I have a very strange refusal letter. :-[
I have applied to the Federal Skilled Worker program within the PhD stream on June 7th, 2012. I have provided CIC office with the official letter from the University of Toronto that says that I have completed two years towards the completion of my PhD program. My program lasts 8 months each year and thus I have completed two academic years (16 months) towards my PhD degree and stay in good academic standing. The letter contains all necessary information with the name and the contact information of the Director of Student Services.
I would like to get further clarifications on what exactly is missing in my application and why the email of the CIC officer says that
"there is insufficient evidence on file that you have completed at least 2 years of a PhD program delivered by a provincially or territorially recognized private of public post-secondary educational institution located in Canada".
I did not get ANY clarification what was wrong in my application.
Please suggest what I have to do now. CIC refused to give me any additional information. I could not find how to count "2 years". Are they equal 24 month or they equal "2 years of graduate study" (= 16 month in two academic years).

 

[Brit_Immigrant]

Hello everybody,
I have a very strange refusal letter. :-[
I have applied to the Federal Skilled Worker program within the PhD stream on June 7th, 2012. I have provided CIC office with the official letter from the University of Toronto that says that I have completed two years towards the completion of my PhD program. My program lasts 8 months each year and thus I have completed two academic years (16 months) towards my PhD degree and stay in good academic standing. The letter contains all necessary information with the name and the contact information of the Director of Student Services.
I would like to get further clarifications on what exactly is missing in my application and why the email of the CIC officer says that
"there is insufficient evidence on file that you have completed at least 2 years of a PhD program delivered by a provincially or territorially recognized private of public post-secondary educational institution located in Canada".
I did not get ANY clarification what was wrong in my application.
Please suggest what I have to do now. CIC refused to give me any additional information. I could not find how to count "2 years". Are they equal 24 month or they equal "2 years of graduate study" (= 16 month in two academic years).

They assume a PhD program is a full time degree. i.e. it doesn't abide by the undergraduate 4 month semesters. For the PhD application stream, you must be enrolled for 12 months of the year (or equivalent number of years to make 24 months) not the 8 months that you displayed. If your course is only 8 months of the year. You will have to complete 3 years (i.e. 24 months) before you will be deemed eligible to apply under this category.

Hope this helps