Post Grad WP expiring soon, need help. (Vancouver)

[t_wen]

Hi there, I am currently have a Post-graduate work permit (PGWP) for 1 year which expires in November 19th this year. I got this work permit through my college study which lasted 1 year, in total I have l lived in Canada for almost 2 years now.

I currently live in Richmond, Vancouver and still looking for a job related to my course of study (skilled worker), as of now I have been hired by Target Canada - however I was told I need a full-time job in order to extend this permit and also a skilled worker class job. What I have been offered by Target is not related to my course of study and my diploma and is considered Part-time. I am extremely worried as the expiry date is very near and I would like to become a PR.

I have not much clue on which is the nearest immigration office around Vancouver which I can get help and advice from.
Hope someone here can provide me with some urgent advice, it would be more appreciated!

 

[scylla]

You'll need to apply for a new work permit if you wish to remain in Canada and continue working. In order to apply for a new work permit, your employer (Target) must obtain an approved Labour Market Opinion (LMO). I believe the job does need to be full-time in order for the LMO to be approved (although I'm not certain).

The job doesn't have to be related to your degree. It also doesn't have to be skilled. But ideally you should be aiming for a skilled job if your plan is to remain in Canada and qualify to apply for PR.

You should really try to find an employer willing to give you a full time job - and again, preferably it should be skilled.

Good luck.

 

[t_wen]

Hi Scylla,
Thanks for the reply.. As far as I can remember, wasn't there a method of being eligible for a PR status that involved being in the country for at least 3 years within the past 5 years or something like that?

 

[scylla]

Hi Scylla,
Thanks for the reply.. As far as I can remember, wasn't there a method of being eligible for a PR status that involved being in the country for at least 3 years within the past 5 years or something like that?

No - there is no such method. I think you are thinking of the citizenship rule. Once someone is a permanent resident of Canada, they qualify to apply for citizenship once they have lived in Canada for 3 out of the last 4 years. However this rule only applies to those who are already PRs.

There is no method for becoming a PR once you have lived in Canada for three years out of five. If it was this easy to qualify for PR, then everyone would simply come on a student visa and then automatically qualify for PR through their studies. However it's definitely not that easy at all. If you wish to become a PR, you'll need to qualify through one of the programs listed here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/apply.asp If you are interested in becoming a PR, then I would very strongly recommend that you read through the information on this page in detail to understand what you need to do to qualify to apply.