Is studying Extended FT while working full time under PGWP will affect EE apply

[liugengji]

Hi everyone, here is my situation, I graduated from University of Toronto Engineering in summer 2015. I got Master of Engineering's (MEng) offer from U of T in April 2015. So I applied for study permit extension and got my new study permit valid to November 2016. End of May 2015 I got an full time engineering job offer (NOC code 2132) , so I went to Canadian Border obtained my 3 years PGWP and started to work on June 2015.

Nonetheless, I didn't quit school but continues my master at UT with the option of Extended Full Time (EFT), which allows student to finish the program in 2 to 3 years (10 courses). I took 1 course on 2015 fall (first term), and I am taking two 2 courses right now (second term).

I am planning to apply for EE this June. However I am a bit worried because even though technically I would have 1 year qualified work experience under PGWP by June this year, but CIC website states that "You cannot count work experience you gained while enrolled as a full-time student" . I believe U of T will put "extended full time" on my school letter although I only took 3 courses during 2 semester. Will this situation affect my EE application? Can I not mention my graduate study when I apply for EE and OOPNP?

Any help will be greatly appreciated, thank you!

 

[jes_ON]

I am planning to apply for EE this June. However I am a bit worried because even though technically I would have 1 year qualified work experience under PGWP by June this year, but CIC website states that "You cannot count work experience you gained while enrolled as a full-time student" . I believe U of T will put "extended full time" on my school letter although I only took 3 courses during 2 semester. Will this situation affect my EE application? Can I not mention my graduate study when I apply for EE and OOPNP?

I do not know what benefit there is to "extended full time" status (as opposed to part-time), but you have good reason to worry. I appreciate that this is the ultimate "grey zone" case (your 3 courses were actually "half courses", according to the program website, so under ordinary circumstances this level of effort would be considered part-time), but If U of T considers you a full-time student, then CIC will likely exclude your work experience. And CIC's visa officers tend to not deal well with grey zones - if you don't clearly meet the criteria, you are usually refused.

Can you forget to mention your student status? Well, that would be considered "misrepresentation," and you would risk being banned from Canada. And consider that you extended your study permit, so CIC certainly knows : )

I see your program does not permit you to switch to part-time status now, so I'm not sure what to suggest. First things first - obtain the letter from U of T and see what it says. If it says "full time" (extended or otherwise), and if you value PR above the master's degree (which you can do later if you choose), I would suggest taking advantage of the one-time opportunity of the PGWP, dropping the study program, work another year, and then apply with 1 year of valid work experience...

You could spring for a consultation with an immigration lawyer, if you wanted to. Or better yet, talk to the University's international student services centre, they are usually very well-informed about immigration issues, and (should be) motivated to find an answer to this question ...

http://cie.utoronto.ca/Coming/Prepare-for-Arrival/Working-in-Canada.htm

 

[nonhill]

Hi everyone, here is my situation, I graduated from University of Toronto Engineering in summer 2015. I got Master of Engineering's (MEng) offer from U of T in April 2015. So I applied for study permit extension and got my new study permit valid to November 2016. End of May 2015 I got an full time engineering job offer (NOC code 2132) , so I went to Canadian Border obtained my 3 years PGWP and started to work on June 2015.

Nonetheless, I didn't quit school but continues my master at UT with the option of Extended Full Time (EFT), which allows student to finish the program in 2 to 3 years (10 courses). I took 1 course on 2015 fall (first term), and I am taking two 2 courses right now (second term).

I am planning to apply for EE this June. However I am a bit worried because even though technically I would have 1 year qualified work experience under PGWP by June this year, but CIC website states that "You cannot count work experience you gained while enrolled as a full-time student" . I believe U of T will put "extended full time" on my school letter although I only took 3 courses during 2 semester. Will this situation affect my EE application? Can I not mention my graduate study when I apply for EE and OOPNP?

Any help will be greatly appreciated, thank you!

Hi,

What happened to your application at the end?