CAIPS...PLEASE HELP

[teedee]

Hi,

I received my CAIPS response today. My application has been in process since April 2005. The notes days I have 0 points for work experience.
My situation is that I was an international student in Canada. I got a COOP work permit after my first semester while I was in school (I hope someone knows what COOP is). I graduated university with a batchelor in business in April 2004. However, I was unable to complete all my COOP work terms. I only did one work term in Summer 2002 -working full time for 3 months. After I graduated I was given the option to renew my COOP work permit so I can complete my work terms or apply for the post graduate work permit. I chose to renew my COOP work permit, I was issued a work permit that expired December 2005. I got a full-time job in June 2004 and worked with that company until Dec 2005.
I applied for PR in April 2005. When I calculated my work experience points I had more that 1 year of work experience because of the job I had plus the summer job I had in 2002.

Ok, so when I received my CAIPS notes it said 0 points for work experience, the IO note says that I was still a student because I had a COOP work permit. I am SOO CONFUSED AND FRUSTRATED because it says the IO calculated 51 points for me. I was not informed that I was below the 67 points neither was I asked to submit more information. I have e-mailed Buffalo numerous times and the only reply I get is that MY APPLICATION IS STILL IN PROCESS. If I dont qualify why are they not telling me.

I dont know what to do!! Do you think I have no work experience even though I worked FULL TIME continously for almost 2 years??

What should I do or should I just give up.

 

[Yojimbo]

When I was in university, as an international student, a CIC officer came to speak on immigrating to Canada and that question came up, a lot. The officer didn't say Co-op wouldn't count, but he wasn't clear that it would count either. We kept asking different scenarios and he kept saying " if it's FULL TIME, and it's a JOB, and you can say you worked for A FULL YEAR CONTINOUSLY, then it will count. The officer reviewing the file will decide." - not the exact words but pretty close.

Now, I don't know the exact rules, but it might be a matter of proving it was (a) real work and (b) related to your profession. (But being co-op, (a) and (b) were probably true...).

This post is more for telling you "don't give up" than for finding a solution... but I'm sure you can defend your case somehow.

By the way, did you already get the request to do your medicals?

good luck!

PS: my case is still processing.

PS2: keep us posted.

 

[teedee]

Thanks for your reply. No I have not done the medical part yet. I had no idea that coop work permit might not be considered as a real job. When I applied back in February 05. I had only worked at my job (after graduating) for 9 months. But because I added the summer job of 3 months, my work experience came to 12 months. I sent over my job decription, contract and reference letter. I worked with the company for 1 year and 7 months as a Business Services Rep and later as Customer Service Rep. Both were within my degree (Business Admin) and I worked with that company continously as a fulltime paid employee.
I dont know what information they need and how come they are not asking me for the info? Its been almost 3 years.

 

[teedee]

CAIPS stands for Computer Assisted Immigration Processing System - its tells u at what stage your application is, consists of the immigration officers notes, what they have done so far and when next they will visit your file and what will happen next. it also tells you how many points the immigration officer calculated. It's only for applications outside Canada. The Canadian Immigration Office in Ottawa gets the information from the offices outside of Canada on your behalf.

 

[Yojimbo]

By *real job* I meant the work you did under the co-op visa had the same duties as described in the NOC you selected. For example, an entrepreneurial business, working as a contractor designing a webpage, etc, might be possible under a co-op visa but difficult to prove were a real contribution to your NOC profession.

It sounds like you did the real thing...