FAQ: All you need to know about applying for PR with NOC 4012 (RA/TA) work experience.

[nisarg205]

Hello,

I worked as a Graduate Research Assistant (RA) while pursuing my Master's in USA, however I mainly worked on analyzing data and creating reports. So, my job duties are aligned with NOC 2172 and not exactly with 4012. So my question is, though I worked as RA while studying in a foreign country , can I go ahead with any other NOC except 4012 or I should stick to 4012 only?

 

[thementor]

@saha_pritam
@ashrafa123
@MARYKE4NNY
@csadangi
@Raha_1986
@mandy15leo
@steadz12
@eykash
@jamilmuradov
@Hany.B
@Jas90
@b_xi
@Dion1
@kiko_22
@csadangi

Respected fellow Canadian dream pursuers,
Hope all of you are healthy and safe amidst the virus outbreak. At what stage each of your application is at the moment? Please let us know if you have successfully received your PR/landed in Canada. I am also applying for experience gained through NOC 4012 as a Research Assistant.

I requested my advisor to provide me a letter of reference and he agreed, and asked me to draft the letter and give him. It will be immensely helpful if each of you could upload the final version of your reference letter that you submitted and was accepted. It will guide our future applicants as well. Otherwise, you can just email me personally at sq01714322592@gmail.com if you don't want to post in public and I will not disclose it to anyone.

Stay healthy. Stay safe. And looking forward to hearing from you all. Thank you.

 

[thementor]

Hello,

I worked as a Graduate Research Assistant (RA) while pursuing my Master's in USA, however I mainly worked on analyzing data and creating reports. So, my job duties are aligned with NOC 2172 and not exactly with 4012. So my question is, though I worked as RA while studying in a foreign country , can I go ahead with any other NOC except 4012 or I should stick to 4012 only?

@nisarg205 the job title doesn't matter; the Main Duties of the NOC you want to apply must nearly match in the position for which you have gained experience.

 

[nisarg205]

@thementor I know it is redundant, but still want to ask as it is still confusing to me. So, my work experience as a student (in USA during my Masters) counts for CRS point under Federal Skill Worker (FSW) program? Right or Not? And if yes, the NOC does not matter for that job duration as well as far as it is matching with the description on the official website?

 

[nisarg205]

@thementor I know it is redundant, but still want to ask as it is still confusing to me. So, my work experience as a student (in USA during my Masters) counts for CRS point under Federal Skill Worker (FSW) program? Right or Not? And if yes, the NOC does not matter for that job duration as well as far as it is matching with the description on the official website?

@saha_pritam @MARYKE4NNY

 

[thementor]

@thementor I know it is redundant, but still want to ask as it is still confusing to me. So, my work experience as a student (in USA during my Masters) counts for CRS point under Federal Skill Worker (FSW) program?

Right, it does!

And if yes, the NOC does not matter for that job duration as well as far as it is matching with the description on the official website?

Exactly.

 

[Ali1371]

I found that you have used the pathway of NOC 4012. Congratulations on your successful journey to become a Canadian!
I was wondering if you could guide me with these questions, since I am on the same path!

1. I have done my Master's of Science as a graduate research assistant in South Korea and now I have contacted them they are offering two ways to write me a work experience certificate.
My department is suggesting me to write a letter as my main employer, but at the same time I can ask my supervisor to write me a letter to certify my work experience as an RA.
Which one would you suggest? Did you get it from your supervisor? Is it possible to share the template of your letter with me?

2. My second question is, I am currently doing my PhD (2nd year) in Canada, based on my research on NOC 4012 I realize that I can use this as a foreigner work experience as I am under study permit. I am currently both TA/RA. The TAing is in every fall, so it is not exactly continuous. Should I also mention the TA part or only RA suffices?

3. Did officer asked for additional document for example your salary history for your RA experience?


In advance thank you very much for spending your time answering me!

 

[thementor]

I found that you have used the pathway of NOC 4012. Congratulations on your successful journey to become a Canadian!
I was wondering if you could guide me with these questions, since I am on the same path!

1. I have done my Master's of Science as a graduate research assistant in South Korea and now I have contacted them they are offering two ways to write me a work experience certificate.
My department is suggesting me to write a letter as my main employer, but at the same time I can ask my supervisor to write me a letter to certify my work experience as an RA.
Which one would you suggest? Did you get it from your supervisor? Is it possible to share the template of your letter with me?

2. My second question is, I am currently doing my PhD (2nd year) in Canada, based on my research on NOC 4012 I realize that I can use this as a foreigner work experience as I am under study permit. I am currently both TA/RA. The TAing is in every fall, so it is not exactly continuous. Should I also mention the TA part or only RA suffices?

3. Did officer asked for additional document for example your salary history for your RA experience?


In advance thank you very much for spending your time answering me!

Great. I studied in South Korea as well.

Ans. 1: Yes, definitely.
Ans. 2: If you have your 1-year continuous employment in South Korea as a RA/TA in the same NOC, then you can use your part-time employment in Canada while doing the PhD (however, I am not an expert regarding whether Canadian TA/RA experience while being a PhD student is counted as I am not in Canada).
Ans. 3: It does not apply to me as I am also applying at the moment.
Hope it helps.

 

[jamilmuradov]

The last thing first, I applied for Permanent Residency in Canada on 25th January 2018 with my NOC 4012 (Research Assistantship) work experience obtained in Canada while I was a Master’s student. I received my CoPR on 1st May 2018.

Permanent residency application using Research Assistant or Teaching Assistant experience is a less explored path, so, before applying or even after submitting my application, I went through a lot of threads in this forum and I saw a lot of confusions, doubts, and controversies about this particular NOC. I had so many questions so I reached out to several people in this forum as well as in Facebook to get an answer. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge them for their guidance and contribution. As my journey to the Canadian PR is almost complete, I would like to compile some of the questions in this thread, that I had in my mind and I was having real hard time to find the answers, so that it could help future aspirants who will take this path.

Q1. Is it possible to apply for Express Entry using NOC 4012 (Research Assistant/Teaching Assistant) work experience obtained in Canada under study permit?
A: Definitely YES!

Q2: Would it make me eligible for Canadian Experience Class?
A: Though you worked in Canada as an RA/TA, you won’t be considered as Canadian Experience Class (CEC) applicant because the work experience you gained was under study permit. Even though you worked in Canada, your work experience will be counted as a foreign work experience. But if someone worked as an RA/TA under PGWP or any other sort of work permits, they might be considered as CEC applicant.

Q3: How many CRS points will I be awarded for this NOC 4012 work experience?
A: If you worked as RA/TA outside Canada, you will be awarded regular CRS points for that experience.
If you worked as RA/TA in Canada under your work permit, you will also get regular CRS points.
But, here is the catch, if you worked as RA/TA in Canada when you were a student, you won’t be awarded any CRS points. Nevertheless, the work experience will be surely counted as “Foreign Experience”, which will make you eligible for Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) stream of Express Entry system, as minimum one year’s work experience is a must for the EE system.

Q4: What do I need to provide to prove of my RA/TA (NOC 4012) experience?
A: A job reference letter mentioning your job duration, work hour, salary, job duties (it must be coordinated with the job duties of NOC4012) etc. from your supervisor is a must. Additionally, you can provide your appointment letter, a few pay stubs, T4/T4A and a letter from HR/Payroll confirming your salary.

Q5: Do I need to provide proof of funds?
A: Yes! Proof of fund is not necessary for CEC applicants. But for Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) stream, you need to provide proof of funds.

If you have more questions, feel free to ask in the comment box. I will try to answer as much as I can.

Thank you and good luck!

Saha,

One question, please!
I have received a T4A for my research assistant work. However, the T4A was not included in my total income of CRA notice of assessment. Is that a problem for PR application?

Best wishes!

 

[sonia.jejo]

The last thing first, I applied for Permanent Residency in Canada on 25th January 2018 with my NOC 4012 (Research Assistantship) work experience obtained in Canada while I was a Master’s student. I received my CoPR on 1st May 2018.

Permanent residency application using Research Assistant or Teaching Assistant experience is a less explored path, so, before applying or even after submitting my application, I went through a lot of threads in this forum and I saw a lot of confusions, doubts, and controversies about this particular NOC. I had so many questions so I reached out to several people in this forum as well as in Facebook to get an answer. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge them for their guidance and contribution. As my journey to the Canadian PR is almost complete, I would like to compile some of the questions in this thread, that I had in my mind and I was having real hard time to find the answers, so that it could help future aspirants who will take this path.

Q1. Is it possible to apply for Express Entry using NOC 4012 (Research Assistant/Teaching Assistant) work experience obtained in Canada under study permit?
A: Definitely YES!

Q2: Would it make me eligible for Canadian Experience Class?
A: Though you worked in Canada as an RA/TA, you won’t be considered as Canadian Experience Class (CEC) applicant because the work experience you gained was under study permit. Even though you worked in Canada, your work experience will be counted as a foreign work experience. But if someone worked as an RA/TA under PGWP or any other sort of work permits, they might be considered as CEC applicant.

Q3: How many CRS points will I be awarded for this NOC 4012 work experience?
A: If you worked as RA/TA outside Canada, you will be awarded regular CRS points for that experience.
If you worked as RA/TA in Canada under your work permit, you will also get regular CRS points.
But, here is the catch, if you worked as RA/TA in Canada when you were a student, you won’t be awarded any CRS points. Nevertheless, the work experience will be surely counted as “Foreign Experience”, which will make you eligible for Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) stream of Express Entry system, as minimum one year’s work experience is a must for the EE system.

Q4: What do I need to provide to prove of my RA/TA (NOC 4012) experience?
A: A job reference letter mentioning your job duration, work hour, salary, job duties (it must be coordinated with the job duties of NOC4012) etc. from your supervisor is a must. Additionally, you can provide your appointment letter, a few pay stubs, T4/T4A and a letter from HR/Payroll confirming your salary.

Q5: Do I need to provide proof of funds?
A: Yes! Proof of fund is not necessary for CEC applicants. But for Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) stream, you need to provide proof of funds.

If you have more questions, feel free to ask in the comment box. I will try to answer as much as I can.

Thank you and good luck!

 

[sonia.jejo]

Hi Pritam,

My case is almost identical to yours. However, my designation was "Research Scholar" (as mentioned on pay stub). Will this be an acceptable substitute for RA? Also, if I get the reference letter from my program director (as my supervisor may not provide with the letter), is this going to be accepted?

 

[frz077]

Hi Saha,

I've completed my masters (thesis based) from a Canadian University. The program length is two years, but it took me 2.5 years. Does RA count as full time, as I was a full time student? I also worked as a TA (part time) for the entire duration of my study (1427 hours in total). Should I choose 2 years of experience or 3 years (foreign)? I guess, ultimately foreign experience points don't count. Just want to make sure I provide the exact info. Do I need two separate letters for RA and TA? Thanks in advance.

 

[jamilmuradov]

Hi Saha,

I've completed my masters (thesis based) from a Canadian University. The program length is two years, but it took me 2.5 years. Does RA count as full time, as I was a full time student? I also worked as a TA (part time) for the entire duration of my study (1427 hours in total). Should I choose 2 years of experience or 3 years (foreign)? I guess, ultimately foreign experience points don't count. Just want to make sure I provide the exact info. Do I need two separate letters for RA and TA? Thanks in advance.

I think, your experience may qualify for FSW but you will not get points for work experience while a student.

 

[umerudel]

Hi everyone I need help. I am About to finish my Masters in US. I have been TA/RA for 4.5 years which makes up to 4680 work hours. It's equivalent to 4680/1560 = 3 years. Can I select foreign work experience of 3 years or more to calculate my CRS score?

 

[thementor]

Hi everyone I need help. I am About to finish my Masters in US. I have been TA/RA for 4.5 years which makes up to 4680 work hours. It's equivalent to 4680/1560 = 3 years. Can I select foreign work experience of 3 years or more to calculate my CRS score?

yes you can.. have you worked during the vacations also?