Canadian PR for undergraduate students

[DIndia93]

I have a few questions regrading the PR Process and eligibility. I am a full-time undergraduate student at Mcgill and will be graduating with atleast 8 months of full-time work experience in a technology company in Ottawa.
I plan to work for a year after my graduation and then do masters in the US before coming back in at most 2 years. My questions are:

1. Does my full-time internship at the technology company as a Software Developer count for the full year work experience you need for PR eligibility?
2. Even then, if I work for a year after graduation and then apply for PR (and possibly receive it) is it safe to work/study in the US for two years and then come back to fulfill the 3 (out of 5) years residency requirement in Canada?

PS: I am talking about eligibility in the Canadian Experience Class. Will provide more information to answer the question if need be.

 

[nettoyant]

1. Does my full-time internship at the technology company as a Software Developer count for the full year work experience you need for PR eligibility?

No, work before graduation doesn't count for PR.

 

[nettoyant]

I have a few questions regrading the PR Process and eligibility. I am a full-time undergraduate student at Mcgill and will be graduating with atleast 8 months of full-time work experience in a technology company in Ottawa.
I plan to work for a year after my graduation and then do masters in the US before coming back in at most 2 years. My questions are:

1. Does my full-time internship at the technology company as a Software Developer count for the full year work experience you need for PR eligibility?
2. Even then, if I work for a year after graduation and then apply for PR (and possibly receive it) is it safe to work/study in the US for two years and then come back to fulfill the 3 (out of 5) years residency requirement in Canada?

PS: I am talking about eligibility in the Canadian Experience Class. Will provide more information to answer the question if need be.

The PR residency requirements can be found here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/newcomers/about-pr.asp

Currently it's 2 years in 5 in order to not lose the status and be able to renew your PR after 5 years. I'm not sure if this portion of the law changed recently.

The 3 years in 5 is the old rule for qualifying for citizenship. The new law will come into effect next year where the minimum time for citizenship will be 4 years in 6.

 

[DIndia93]

Is it possible that the work experience requirement can be modified on a need by need basis? In other words how sure are you about this requirement because I am pretty sure I know of a couple cases where the undergrad exp was counted for PR eligibility. Could there be exceptions? Can I call a hotline and confirm? And the 4 out 6 years requirement is for citizenship and not PR, correct?

Thanks for the help

 

[nettoyant]

Is it possible that the work experience requirement can be modified on a need by need basis? In other words how sure are you about this requirement because I am pretty sure I know of a couple cases where the undergrad exp was counted for PR eligibility. Could there be exceptions? Can I call a hotline and confirm? And the 4 out 6 years requirement is for citizenship and not PR, correct?

Thanks for the help

Check this:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?q=730&t=6

What kind of work experience do I need to apply for permanent residence under the Canadian Experience Class?

To apply, your skilled work experience must:
(...)
be gained with the proper legal authorization (for example, as a documented worker with a valid work permit), and
not be gained while you were studying on a student permit.

 

[XanderZ]

Is it possible that the work experience requirement can be modified on a need by need basis? In other words how sure are you about this requirement because I am pretty sure I know of a couple cases where the undergrad exp was counted for PR eligibility. Could there be exceptions? Can I call a hotline and confirm? And the 4 out 6 years requirement is for citizenship and not PR, correct?

Thanks for the help

True, some friend that I know got their PR by including their intern experiences.. but that was back before the new 3 years post-grad work permit rules came out.
Plus he's working in the same company after he graduated (there's a lot of loophole/flaw back then).

My suggestion? you can try but I wouldn't want to go that route since they stated it clearly now that works before graduation (even co-op work I think) doesn't count towards your experience. See here:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?q=675&t=6

it's a risk and there's a higher chance that your application will be rejected.

Question 2: Even then, if I work for a year after graduation and then apply for PR (and possibly receive it) is it safe to work/study in the US for two years and then come back to fulfill the 3 (out of 5) years residency requirement in Canada?

Answer : the current requirement to maintain your status is 2 out of 5 (as nettoyant stated above) not 3 as you said.
So I would say.. if that's the case then yes you're safe to do so.

 

[DIndia93]

thanks guys! this really helped !

 

[jes_ON]

1.. Does my full-time internship at the technology company as a Software Developer count for the full year work experience you need for PR eligibility?

If it is post-graduation and done on a work permit (e.g. post graduate work permit), then yes, it will count. Apply for your PGWP as soon as you can. But remember, it is a one year minimum - twelve full months/52 weeks MINIMUM. Anything shorter will be a problem.

2. Even then, if I work for a year after graduation and then apply for PR (and possibly receive it) is it safe to work/study in the US for two years and then come back to fulfill the 3 (out of 5) years residency requirement in Canada? PS: I am talking about eligibility in the Canadian Experience Class.

Specifically for the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), yes. (that is, under current rules, which may change in January with the implementation of express entry). So, with CEC, you can finish your work, leave Canada, and apply from anywhere. Your work experience would have to be within the 3 years preceding your application. Meaning, if you work exactly one year, you'd have two years after during which you can apply. Then processing takes another year (give or take a few months). If you finish your masters in 2 years, you'd have plenty of time to establish residency. You could even delay applying for a year, but given program eligibility can come and go, that could be risky.