work after graduation to apply for PR under skilled worker

[jennifer1980]

Hello, my name is Noemi and I'm Italian.
I applied for a postgraduate course in HR in Toronto, it's 8 months in class+4 months co-op.
My aim is to get a work permit after graduation so that I will be able to apply for PR under skilled worker, as I have 4 years experience in Italy as Recruiter and I need to get at least one year work experience in Canada.

1. Do you know if I can do ANY kind of job during this year or it has to be a job of type 0/a/b (since I want to apply under skilled worker)? It's a little tricky as the difference between type b and c (which is not good) are very small!
2. If I work off campus after 90 days of my study, so that I can work full time, does this work experience count to get the ONE YEAR experience in order to apply for PR under skilled worker?

I really hope you can answer my question. Thank you!

 

[Leon]

If you want to apply under FSW category 3 as a person who is 12 months in Canada studying or working, you only need 12 months in Canada studying or working. It does not have to be working at a skilled job. These are the requirements to meet the criteria for category 3.

You do however have to have at least 1 year continuous skilled work experience at some time in the past and you do have to have enough points since those two are the general requirements to apply under the skilled worker program.

You will not get an off campus permit after 90 days of studying. At http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/study/work-offcampus-who.asp it says that you must have been studying for 6 months before you can apply. An off campus permit will also not allow you to work full time. It will allow you to work up to 20 hours a week during classes or full time when you don't have classes. You can apply after 6 months and at http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/canada/process-in.asp#temp_res it says that it will take 30 days to get the permit and so you would have your off campus permit for the last month of your course.

If you are going for a co-op work permit, I do not know exactly how they work but they do state at http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/kits/guides/5580E.PDF on page 5 that the co-op work can not be more than 50% of your course so I do not see how a co-op permit would allow you to work full time along with your studies as well. As you state, you have your studies for 8 months, the co-op work for 4.

You may be able to get a post-grad work permit after you complete your course, see http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/study/work-postgrad-who.asp

In any case, whichever work permit you go for, as long as you have studied/worked in Canada for 12 months, you meet the criteria to apply for PR under FSW category 3, see http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/skilled.asp under category 3.

 

[Anil_Toronto]

Hi Noemi,

Once you graduate from a post grad program and apply for a post grad work permit...it will be an open work permit, which means you can work for any employer. The term of the work permit is equivalent to the length of your course. So 1 year of study qualifies for 1 year WP as a general rule.

If you plan to apply under the FSW category, i suggest you should take your time finding the right employer to meet your goal. A good employer would also mean that you may be able to extend your WP after the initial 1 year...that depends n the employer's history and also the job market you are into. Also as the NOC list, you would be able to determine which job title/profile falls under O,A,B Category. This can help you make a decision as well as to which employer/job to go with.

 

[jennifer1980]

Thank you very much for all your answers.

Leon,
maybe I didn't explain well, what I meant is that work permit off campus lasts 90 days after i finish my study, so i was wondering If I will be able to work full time in that time and if this work experience will count to get the ONE YEAR work experience I need to apply for PR under skilled worker.

You said that, in order to apply under Skilled Worker, the important thing is that i get one year experience with any kind of job and permit, but when I asked the Canadian Embassy in Rome they told me it will have to be a job type 0/a/b..so I'm a little confused now.
But thank you for all your information. If I get one year experience I will get the right mark to apply as I already have 4 years experience in my field.

Anil,
thank you too, I know what you mean and I will certainly look for a job in my field (Recruiting) after graduation, but I have worked in Toronto last year under working holiday permit and I found it very difficult to find a company willing to sponsor a foreign worker. Maybe being an international students will help me find the right company. Do you know if companies have some advise or benefits hiring an international students?

Thank you again, all your information are very helpful.

 

[Leon]

Then the off campus permit can bridge the time you wait to get your post grad permit. It's a good idea. The embassy in Rome is mixing two things up. The criteria for FSW3 and the requirement to have a one year skilled work experience.

The criteria for FSW3 is only that you have been studying or working in Canada for one year. It does not matter what you did for a job at all. You might have been working in McDonalds for all they care.

The requirement to have a one year continuous skilled work experience is a general requirement for the skilled worker program and is equally important as getting your 67 points but this work experience does not have to be from Canada.

 

[Anil_Toronto]

Anil,
thank you too, I know what you mean and I will certainly look for a job in my field (Recruiting) after graduation, but I have worked in Toronto last year under working holiday permit and I found it very difficult to find a company willing to sponsor a foreign worker. Maybe being an international students will help me find the right company. Do you know if companies have some advise or benefits hiring an international students?

Thank you again, all your information are very helpful.

I have been an International student myself and know how hard it is to find a good employer here. With a degree from a canadian college/university plus the canadian work exp. you possess - these would be advantages to you. Employers look for diversity and go for skills which could have been achieved in past work profiles or outside canada. A strong resume would definately help to promote that. The employers are expected to treat an employee does not matter foreign worker/ canadian citizen likewise...so the company would be paying the same wage/ benefits to a foreign worker or a temporary worker. As i mentioned before the real advantage for the company would be you past experience and skills plus the study you have gained.

I hope it all works out for you!! So when does your course finish?

 

[jennifer1980]

Thank you so much guys, you are encouraging me

Leon, thank you very much. At this point I have another question for you. I read on the CIC website that this one year has to be consecutive. Whan can I get this experience? I worked 6 months in Torono in 2009 also, but I don't think it can count if it has to be consecutive. Let me know what you think.

Anil, I already have a Psychology degree from Italy and 4 years experience in recruiting, so I thought a postgraduate diploma in HR would work, just to get some knowledge about Canadian HR policies and to get this famous work permit!
I also know Recruiting job is not regulated in Ontario, unlike the HR job. For position in HR often a certification is required.
I have a friend who found a sponsor as recruiter, she didn't have experience before and the company paid her very low wages...she said they did it cause she wasn't Canadian and she needs a sponsor, but I think it depends on the experience, what do you think?

My course will start in Sept and finish in Agust 2011. The I would like to use an off campus permit to keep looking for a job and then apply for a work permit after graduation, to have more time.

Do you guys think the work permit after graduation will last 12 months?I'm afraid they will give me 11 months or less!
And they will make problems if I get this experience using an off campus permit. Everything is so complicated, especially because when I asked in Italy there weren't sure of anything...


Anil are you still working in Toronto?

 

[Leon]

I think as long as you have been in Canada on a study and later work permit for 12 months total and you have actually been studying or working, not sitting at home doing nothing, then it will qualify you under category 3 as having studied or worked in Canada for 12 months.

The one year continuous skilled work experience is another matter. You say you have 4 years experience as a recruiter? I assume that would fit NOC 1223, see http://www5.hrsdc.gc.ca/NOC/English/NOC/2006/Profile.aspx?val=1&val1=1223 which is a skilled occupation. Are you saying that in your 4 year experience, you never had a one year full time continuous period that you did this job? Or a continuous part time experience that translates to a full time year (1950 hours)?

If do not have a full time continuous skilled work experience already and you are hoping to get that in Canada, you need to get lucky and find a skilled full time job and stay in it for the full year of your post-grad work permit.

 

[jennifer1980]

Hi, I do have one year continuos work experience as recruiter in Italy, but I got it working for two different employers, as the job market in Italy is very contract oriented (11 months contract + 6 months contract = more than 1 year).
So two consecutive jobs for two different employers make one year or more.

Then if I add all other jobs as recruiter in Italy (not all consecutive) I can have more than one year.
Do you think is it ok? I think it works.

My question was about the one year consecutive Canadian work experience, which is the requirement I need to get the right point at the test under skilled worker. Sorry maybe I didn't explain well.
I tried the test and if I don't work in Canada for one year I won't get the right point, even if I study for one year.
The cic says I can apply if:
"you are a foreign national who has been living legally in Canada for one year as a temporary foreign worker or an international student" but then when I have the test I find that I can get more point if I study for at least 2 years. So it's not my case. To get the mark point I need at least one year work experience in Canada.
So I was wondering if the it has to be consecutive or not.

 

[Leon]

Your skilled work experience needs to be continuous so if you did not have a break between your 11 months contract and 6 months contract, it should work.

If you are short on points, that is another thing. From what it says about the continuous one year employment, you should be able to count full time work on any work permit towards that, even if you had started on an off-campus permit while waiting for a post-grad permit.

It is also possible that the employer will apply for an LMO for you to let you apply for a regular work permit or that he can sponsor you for PR under the provincial nominee program.

 

[jennifer1980]

Yeah, I heard about these program, they are good for international students.
I will check again the date of the contract to make sure it's consecutive.
Leon, how do you know all this information, did you have experience as foreign workers as well?

 

[Leon]

I applied as a skilled worker before I came to Canada but I have known many foreign workers who I was working with. All this information is on the CIC website.

 

[jennifer1980]

How did it take for you to get your PR as skilled worker?

 

[Anil_Toronto]

Thank you so much guys, you are encouraging me

Leon, thank you very much. At this point I have another question for you. I read on the CIC website that this one year has to be consecutive. Whan can I get this experience? I worked 6 months in Torono in 2009 also, but I don't think it can count if it has to be consecutive. Let me know what you think.

Anil, I already have a Psychology degree from Italy and 4 years experience in recruiting, so I thought a postgraduate diploma in HR would work, just to get some knowledge about Canadian HR policies and to get this famous work permit!
I also know Recruiting job is not regulated in Ontario, unlike the HR job. For position in HR often a certification is required.
I have a friend who found a sponsor as recruiter, she didn't have experience before and the company paid her very low wages...she said they did it cause she wasn't Canadian and she needs a sponsor, but I think it depends on the experience, what do you think?

My course will start in Sept and finish in Agust 2011. The I would like to use an off campus permit to keep looking for a job and then apply for a work permit after graduation, to have more time.

Do you guys think the work permit after graduation will last 12 months?I'm afraid they will give me 11 months or less!
And they will make problems if I get this experience using an off campus permit. Everything is so complicated, especially because when I asked in Italy there weren't sure of anything...


Anil are you still working in Toronto?

I surely agree that experience would surely matter. My room mate did this to get this to get this work permit for a year. He was looking for jobs after the graduation, took him about 2 months...once he found a tentitive employer..he requested the college for another set of transcripts...which were dated after 2 months of the initial ones...on basis of that the immigration officer gave him a full 1 year work permit instead of 10 months.

and yea i do work in Toronto still...west end (Etobicoke area)

 

[Leon]

How did it take for you to get your PR as skilled worker?

For me it was a long time ago. I applied in October 2000 through London. Got AOR in January 2001, requests for medical April 2001, PR visa in July 2001, landed in January 2002, citizenship August 2008.