Need Help: Masters or Graduate Certificate?

[bahariesmoon88]

Hello,
I need help in making a decision please. I have a B.Sc and Diploma in Accounting with 9 years of foreign work experience as an Accountant. Currently, I am working on my US CPA designation which can be easily transferred to a Canadian CPA upon completion. I've been accepted into a Masters program at University of Windsor 16 month program which will give me 3 year work permit but I am wondering if I should do a one year graduate certificate since it will be cheaper. Do you think I should take the risk and do a one year graduate certificate with a one year work permit with my credentials or stick with the Masters? The pandemic put a dent in my savings so I will be short funds for living expenses if I do the masters so I would really have to save every last dollar up until I leave my country for living expense. Please let me know what you think.

 

[primaprime]

A one-year PGWP is unlikely to give you enough time to get the skilled work experience needed to qualify for PR. A 16-month master's also doesn't 100% guarantee a three-year PGWP, but it is the better option in your case.

 

[bahariesmoon88]

A one-year PGWP is unlikely to give you enough time to get the skilled work experience needed to qualify for PR. A 16-month master's also doesn't 100% guarantee a three-year PGWP, but it is the better option in your case.

Thank you. I am hearing that there is a bridging pathway once I apply for PR if I don't complete the one year PR in time that gives you an additional 6 months to a year. Have you heard of that?

 

[primaprime]

Thank you. I am hearing that there is a bridging pathway once I apply for PR if I don't complete the one year PR in time that gives you an additional 6 months to a year. Have you heard of that?

No, to get a bridging work permit you need to apply for PR within that year. You cannot extend a PGWP, even if you're just a few days short of completing a year of work experience.

 

[bahariesmoon88]

Ok I understand now. Thank you!

 

[jackiej1111]

May i ask why are you worrying about the pgwp and one year canadian working experience? With one year canadian education, you will earn 15 points for education at least (30 for masters), which should be sufficient to get ITA straight away after you finish study, through FSW, based on current score right?

 

[Impatient Dankaroo]

Graduate certificate is great if you want to work at McDonalds

 

[bahariesmoon88]

Because I was thinking of doing the graduate certificate to save costs and with my age I would need a full year of working to get a great score so it looks like I need to focus on completing the masters.

May i ask why are you worrying about the pgwp and one year canadian working experience? With one year canadian education, you will earn 15 points for education at least (30 for masters), which should be sufficient to get ITA straight away after you finish study, through FSW, based on current score right?

 

[wonderbly]

No, to get a bridging work permit you need to apply for PR within that year. You cannot extend a PGWP, even if you're just a few days short of completing a year of work experience.

I've always wondered about this: how many years of work experience do you need to have before you are eligible to apply for PR (independent of Express Entry)? Also, does the work experience during study count?

 

[wonderbly]

May i ask why are you worrying about the pgwp and one year canadian working experience? With one year canadian education, you will earn 15 points for education at least (30 for masters), which should be sufficient to get ITA straight away after you finish study, through FSW, based on current score right?

Unfortunately, this isn't always the case. For mature students (like me) whatever points I gain from completing a master's degree, is lost to age increasing .

 

[bahariesmoon88]

I've always wondered about this: how many years of work experience do you need to have before you are eligible to apply for PR (independent of Express Entry)? Also, does the work experience during study count?

Working under a study permit doesn’t count toward the hours for PR. All work must be done under a work permit for it to be counted.

 

[bahariesmoon88]

Unfortunately, this isn't always the case. For mature students (like me) whatever points I gain from completing a master's degree, is lost to age increasing .

Yup! That’s why I’m counting on a two year or three year work permit because my score will be more than sufficient after a full year of working under a work permit for pr.

 

[wonderbly]

Yup! That’s why I’m counting on a two year or three year work permit because my score will be more than sufficient after a full year of working under a work permit for pr.

BTW, go for the Master's program. It's a no-brainer really. Job prospects are much better after completing a masters, and chances of visa (and travelling with your family) are increased as well. Consider looking into scholarships/awards offered by the school and if your program is course thesis-based, you'll likely get funding for it.

 

[bahariesmoon88]

Thank you. I’ve decided on doing the masters.

 

[scylla]

May i ask why are you worrying about the pgwp and one year canadian working experience? With one year canadian education, you will earn 15 points for education at least (30 for masters), which should be sufficient to get ITA straight away after you finish study, through FSW, based on current score right?

There is good reason to worry. It may take time to find a skilled job after finishing school. A 1 year PGWP by no means guarantees that someone will be able to get a year of skilled work experience in Canada. We find many people here run short on time to qualify for PR with only a 1 year PGWP. If your aim is to get PR, then a 1 year program is a bad plan. Take a 2 year program to qualify for a 3 year PGWP. People lose points as they age and it's impossible to predict ITA scores. So a risky strategy to assume a 1 year PGWP will get you ITA and PR.