FSWP Rejected! Need help to re-apply

[sachinsoman1988]

Hey everyone,

I applied for PR through Express Entry in November 2015, and everything was going really well according to the timelines I've seen here. I was even asked to pay the RFPR fee just last week which got my hopes up, then 2 days ago my application gets "Refused" (huge bummer), and the refusal letter mentions the following reason: I included 2 co-op work terms in my work history, which apparently I shouldn't have done because they don't count coops (they consider them part of my education). Without those 8 months of coop, I had less than 1 year of experience in Canada according to the agent.

However, this was only true 6 months ago when I first applied. By now, I already accumulated a full year of post-graduate work (full-time), so that's no issue anymore. I created a new Express Entry profile, and by only including work I've done post-graduation, I have a total of 441 points. Obviously that's not enough. Although, I have a chance to increase those points above 500 (I used the calculator CIC provides) if I add a one year long -paid- internship I did in the U.S. after my third year of university. Given that the U.S. technically doesn't have "co-op", and the agent didn't mention it in the refusal letter (he/she only mentioned my 2 Canadian co-ops), do you guys think I should add it? It will definitely boost my points to help me make the next draw if I do that. At the same time, I'm not sure if they count paid internships abroad as work experience (in comparison with co-op in Canada). I'm assuming the agent based his/her decision on the employment letters I got from my previous employers: the Canadian letters clearly said I was a "co-op", while the U.S. letter said I was an "intern in an International Internship Program".

Any help/advice from someone who dealt with that before, or knows anything about it would be great! Thanks.

'Without those 8 months of coop, I had less than 1 year of experience in Canada according to the agent.' This is the requirement for CEC not FSW.
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/cec/apply-who.asp

 

[anarsoul]

I still believe its an error. CIC Q&A clearly says u cannot count experience when enrolled as a student for CEC..Nothing in FSW!!

Read http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?qnum=394&top=29 carefully.

First paragraph explicitly says that co-ops and apprenticeships do not count as skilled work experience.

No. Co-op terms and apprenticeships completed before graduating do not count as skilled work experience. They are considered part of an educational program.

Second paragraph just clarifies answer for CEC program.

 

[privetdrive]

Did u enter the available funds as $0 in your application?? If you do this, u will be evaluated in CEC.

Interesting! Are you saying that if I enter "0" in my Express Entry profile under "Funds available", it will only make me eligible through FSW? And it has no risk of being rejected because they would think I don't have enough money to survive in Canada? (even though I have a full-time job)

 

[sachinsoman1988]

Interesting! Are you saying that if I enter "0" in my Express Entry profile under "Funds available", it will only make me eligible through FSW? And it has no risk of being rejected because they would think I don't have enough money to survive in Canada? (even though I have a full-time job)

If you enter 0, u would be assessed in CEC cos CEC applicants need not show proof of funds. It was discussed sometime back in this forum.
If they rejected you citing that you dont have an year of Canadian experience-> this is the requirement for CEC and not FSW.

 

[bellaluna]

However, this was only true 6 months ago when I first applied. By now, I already accumulated a full year of post-graduate work (full-time), so that's no issue anymore.

The work experience has to be true at the time you sent your PR application.

Although, I have a chance to increase those points above 500 (I used the calculator CIC provides) if I add a one year long -paid- internship I did in the U.S. after my third year of university. Given that the U.S. technically doesn't have "co-op", and the agent didn't mention it in the refusal letter (he/she only mentioned my 2 Canadian co-ops), do you guys think I should add it? It will definitely boost my points to help me make the next draw if I do that. At the same time, I'm not sure if they count paid internships abroad as work experience (in comparison with co-op in Canada). I'm assuming the agent based his/her decision on the employment letters I got from my previous employers: the Canadian letters clearly said I was a "co-op", while the U.S. letter said I was an "intern in an International Internship Program".

Any help/advice from someone who dealt with that before, or knows anything about it would be great! Thanks.

Did you also declare the US experience in your work history? As members here have said, the US internship can possibly count in FSW (since you got your ITA there), although it has to be one-year, full-time, and continuous. If you submitted and declared this in your original application, this may be a good case for reopening your file. Although truth be told, in other members' experience, it's simply easier and faster to create a new EE profile and get a new ITA, especially now since you definitely qualify for CEC.

 

[Gagan89]

Hey PrivetDrive...sorry to hear your rejection. I am in Canada too. Wat I know your co-op work experience will count towards your CEC work experience only if that experience gained after your graduation and on post graduate work permit (not on student visa). I m in the same situation. I gained 8 months of co-op work experience but while I was working on that job I was on 3 year work permit status.

I did some research before that wat I found

Please let me know if I m right

thanks

 

[sachinsoman1988]

Hey PrivetDrive...sorry to hear your rejection. I am in Canada too. Wat I know your co-op work experience will count towards your CEC work experience only if that experience gained after your graduation and on post graduate work permit (not on student visa). I m in the same situation. I gained 8 months of co-op work experience but while I was working on that job I was on 3 year work permit status.

I did some research before that wat I found

Please let me know if I m right

thanks

I am confused here. Does Co Op experience earned outside Canada, can we use it for FSW??

 

[privetdrive]

If you enter 0, u would be assessed in CEC cos CEC applicants need not show proof of funds. It was discussed sometime back in this forum.
If they rejected you citing that you dont have an year of Canadian experience-> this is the requirement for CEC and not FSW.

I see your confusion here. I was eventually found ineligible because without that year of experience in Canada, my points drop below the minimum for my round. That's why I was refused. Not necessarily because of the fact that I didn't meet that CEC requirement.

 

[privetdrive]

The work experience has to be true at the time you sent your PR application.

Correct. When I sent it, it wasn't true (when we deduct my Canadian coops).

Did you also declare the US experience in your work history? As members here have said, the US internship can possibly count in FSW (since you got your ITA there), although it has to be one-year, full-time, and continuous. If you submitted and declared this in your original application, this may be a good case for reopening your file. Although truth be told, in other members' experience, it's simply easier and faster to create a new EE profile and get a new ITA, especially now since you definitely qualify for CEC.

Yes I have included it in my previous (refused) application, and it was from August 5th until July 11th of the following year, 40 hours per week. Does that slide in as a one year continuous work term? Also, I'm trying not to risk with "possibly" counting, because they can use the same excuse later on and tell me since this internship can't count, they'll remove the additional points, bringing me back below the minimum (that's what happened to me but with the Canadian coops).

 

[privetdrive]

Hey PrivetDrive...sorry to hear your rejection. I am in Canada too. Wat I know your co-op work experience will count towards your CEC work experience only if that experience gained after your graduation and on post graduate work permit (not on student visa). I m in the same situation. I gained 8 months of co-op work experience but while I was working on that job I was on 3 year work permit status.

I did some research before that wat I found

Please let me know if I m right

thanks

Thanks Gagan89. I'm already convinced that co-ops in Canada (especially before graduating) don't count and I shouldn't add them in my work history. What I'm trying to find out is if I can count an internship abroad.
However, you're absolutely right about what you said.

 

[bellaluna]

Correct. When I sent it, it wasn't true (when we deduct my Canadian coops).

Yes I have included it in my previous (refused) application, and it was from August 5th until July 11th of the following year, 40 hours per week. Does that slide in as a one year continuous work term? Also, I'm trying not to risk with "possibly" counting, because they can use the same excuse later on and tell me since this internship can't count, they'll remove the additional points, bringing me back below the minimum (that's what happened to me but with the Canadian coops).

Ah, August 5th to July 11th still is short of one year. Even if you had worked 40 hours a week, you'd still need to fulfill the one-year foreign work experience requirement, based on the dates, at the minimum.

Create a new EE profile so you can make a new application. If you qualify for both CEC and FSW nowadays, you'll get the ITA under CEC. Just declare your post-graduate work experience in Canada. Good luck.

 

[privetdrive]

Ah, August 5th to July 11th still is short of one year. Even if you had worked 40 hours a week, you'd still need to fulfill the one-year foreign work experience requirement, based on the dates, at the minimum.

Create a new EE profile so you can make a new application. If you qualify for both CEC and FSW nowadays, you'll get the ITA under CEC. Just declare your post-graduate work experience in Canada. Good luck.

Yep that's what I already did. Just trying to find a way to increase my points since I only have 441, and that foreign experience would give me a big boost.

 

[bellaluna]

All right. What about your CELPIP scores? Have you reached CLB 9 already in all tests?

 

[privetdrive]

All right. What about your CELPIP scores? Have you reached CLB 9 already in all tests?

I took the IELTS test and got the highest mark in everything except writing (got the second highest). That gave me a score of 133/136.
So that's CLB 10 for reading, speaking, and listening, and CLB 9 for writing according to the break down I'm looking at on the CIC website.

 

[bellaluna]

OK, that means you've also received points in Skill Transferability, but not the maximum work experience yet.