Full Time Work Question - Does Off Campus (pre PGWP) count?

[ondine]

Resurrecting an old thread here... I'm in a similar situation as you were a while back, justtheme. Finished my MA, started working full-time still under my off-campus work permit until I got my PGWP, and now, after two years of full-time work experience, I'll be applying for the CEC under the foreign worker stream. In the end, where there any hurdles regarding the part of your work experience that was obtained under the off-campus work permit? Also, since the restrictions of the graduate stream do not seem to apply, should I also add my work experience as a graduate TA to the application?

I know this is an old topic, but any help would be greatly appreciated

 

[jes_ON]

lol.... this question is discussed several times per week on this board.... suggest browsing through other posts...

just a warning - it seems that some applicants confuse "completing degree requirements" (being eligible to graduate) with "graduation" - there can be a gap between those two - so just to be clear, you are speaking about work experience after graduation/award date on your degree/diploma, correct?

Might as well get this question out of the way - why are you not applying under the post-graduate stream? If you got at PGWP for 2 years, then your MA program should have been long enough to qualify...

 

[ondine]

Hi jes_ON,

Thanks for the reply. Yeah, I noticed several topics where this issue was discussed, but I found that very often there was conflicting information about it.

No, I'm not talking about after graduation date, I'm talking about requirement completion. After taking a look at the OP 25 manual, I came to agree with justtheme that the "after graduation" restriction applies only to people following the graduate stream. I think it's clear in the manual (different paragraphs, the restriction shows up only on the requirements for the graduate stream paragraph), but I was curious as to whether people in similar situations faced any problems.

My MA was only one year. I had a one year PGWP and now I'm here on a employer specific work permit...

 

[juju]

lol.... this question is discussed several times per week on this board.... suggest browsing through other posts...

just a warning - it seems that some applicants confuse "completing degree requirements" (being eligible to graduate) with "graduation" - there can be a gap between those two - so just to be clear, you are speaking about work experience after graduation/award date on your degree/diploma, correct?

Might as well get this question out of the way - why are you not applying under the post-graduate stream? If you got at PGWP for 2 years, then your MA program should have been long enough to qualify...
may I ask you a question. I will be applying under CEC new graduate stream. I worked 7 month full time now, I am wondering, is the 1950hours has to be continuous within 12month, or I can have a month or two gap within the 1950hours, and return to part time job which will be 30 hours/week.
thank you so much if you would offer me a help.

 

[justtheme]

Resurrecting an old thread here... I'm in a similar situation as you were a while back, justtheme. Finished my MA, started working full-time still under my off-campus work permit until I got my PGWP, and now, after two years of full-time work experience, I'll be applying for the CEC under the foreign worker stream. In the end, where there any hurdles regarding the part of your work experience that was obtained under the off-campus work permit? Also, since the restrictions of the graduate stream do not seem to apply, should I also add my work experience as a graduate TA to the application?

I know this is an old topic, but any help would be greatly appreciated

Well there's no reason to worry! CIC just issued changes that state that under the worker stream, only 1 year of full-time work will be required to apply for PR... The changes will take effect on Jan. 1 of 2013.

 

[ondine]

Thanks, justtheme!

Yep, you're absolutely right. You see, I wanted to do this right away because I have my application ready right now and I thought that, if I applied now, there'd be a non-zero chance that I'd have the PR by April (although there'd also be a non-zero chance that I'd get my application rejected!). The reason I wanted to get the PR as soon as possible is that it would save me a lot of money in tuition in 2013. I'm starting my PhD now (and switching to part-time work) and the tuition for international students here in Ontario is eating a significant part of my funding...

Although this situation annoys the hell out of me, I I'll follow your advice and postpone my application!

P.S. I still think your interpretation of the OC 25 is correct, btw. It seems clear to me that this is an EITHER / OR case. However, I think it's a pretty subtle point, and I've seen CIC officers make mistakes about simpler stuff...

 

[jes_ON]

Resurrecting an old thread here... I'm in a similar situation as you were a while back, justtheme. Finished my MA, started working full-time still under my off-campus work permit until I got my PGWP, and now, after two years of full-time work experience, I'll be applying for the CEC under the foreign worker stream. In the end, where there any hurdles regarding the part of your work experience that was obtained under the off-campus work permit? Also, since the restrictions of the graduate stream do not seem to apply, should I also add my work experience as a graduate TA to the application?

With the additional info you provided, I would now say that yes, you could use any work experience performed under a valid work permit (including the TA experience) to apply under the foreign worker stream, provided that it was performed within 3 years preceding your application date.

You're right, I've seen applications refused because the VO assumed it was a post-grad application and the person did not qualify under that stream. But others have succeeded. If you really felt it was necessary, you could add a brief cover letter simply stating that you are applying under the foreign worker stream.

But if you qualify now, why not apply now? 6 months sooner is 6 months sooner...

 

[ondine]

Thanks, jes_ON! Yeah, I know!!! That's why being in this situation annoys me so much. On the one hand, I really don't want to wait - and I feel I have a pretty solid case; on the other hand, it's very hard to account for how the case officer will interpret the regulations (and whether he'll interpret them correctly or not!). It really comes down to how risk averse I am - and I'm not entirely sure! There's a non-zero chance I'll lose $550 (+ other expenses related to documents) vs. a significant probability that I'll save $4-8 grand in tuition next year. I like the cover letter idea. I'll sleep on it and see if I make up my mind once and for all Thanks again.