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Using foreign PhD as work experience

rezasorna

Star Member
May 21, 2013
68
1
Hi,

I did my PhD in Sweden and I was employed with benefits etc. in full time basis. In Swedish system most PhDs are full time employees.
I am wondering can I use it as foreign work experience in my express entry profile.
I know for people who did their PhD in Canada, it doesn't count as work experience but I am not sure about people who did it outside Canada and as an employee in university. I can ask my previous university to write a letter and explain.

I appreciate if you would share your info/experiences regrind this.

Thanks,
 

visaowl

Star Member
Mar 27, 2015
117
6
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
You cannot use PhD as a work experience. Period. No point of debating whether you were an employee or a student or did it in Sweden and not Canada.

Edit:- I assumed you were applying under CEC. For CEC, your work won't count if you were enrolled as a student; which means on a student visa.

For FSWP, you are golden. http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?q=855&t=6

You will have to very conclusively prove the FSWP condition.

If after submitting your Express Entry profile you are invited to apply, you must show that you did the job as described in the occupational description of the NOC, meaning that you did all the essential duties and most of the main duties listed. If you do not show that your experience meets the description in NOC, your application will be refused.
 

caththisking

Hero Member
Nov 8, 2013
423
8
Category........
Visa Office......
CPC-OTTAWA
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
23-04-2015
AOR Received.
23-04-2015
Med's Done....
20-04-2015
Passport Req..
18-08-2015
VISA ISSUED...
11-09-2015
LANDED..........
Planning in DEC 2015
rezasorna said:
Thanks for the info.
Is there any page at CIC website with this information?
In general PhD is considered as education that's why they have additional points in education column after masters. That itself is information from CIC.
 

nick.rwth

Hero Member
Oct 7, 2014
231
7
Ontario
Category........
Visa Office......
Ottawa
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
Nomination.....
EE 474 points (6th draw)
visaowl said:
You cannot use PhD as a work experience. Period. No point of debating whether you were an employee or a student or did it in Sweden and not Canada.
You can use PhD experience as work experience.

I already contacted CIC about that and my German PhD is counted.

To others please do not deceive people, in India or Canada it could be different as people have classes and learning.

In Germany during PhD (in technical university):
-you employed as Research and Teaching Worker;
-you have no classes;
-you do not have exams;
-you do not have education progamm at all.
-research 80%, teaching 20%, classes 0%.

In contrary in my home country where many of my friends did PhD:
-they have 40% of learning classes
-then 50% of research activity
-10% of teaching.


It is very important to clear this.
In my particular case and PhD from German University can be counted. it also depend on University.

Thesis writing which you can count as learning took only last full 4 month from 4 years of PhD.

Did you had classes in Sweden?
 
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visaowl

Star Member
Mar 27, 2015
117
6
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
Apologies. For CEC, RA/TA work won't count. For FSWP, your experience can count. (http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?q=855&t=6)

Edited my post above. There is no deceit in that post. And deceit is in any case wrong word to use in that context.
 

nick.rwth

Hero Member
Oct 7, 2014
231
7
Ontario
Category........
Visa Office......
Ottawa
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
Nomination.....
EE 474 points (6th draw)
visaowl said:
Apologies. For CEC, RA/TA work won't count. For FSWP, your experience can count. (http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?q=855&t=6)

Edited my post above. There is no deceit in that post. And deceit is in any case wrong word to use in that context.
CEC is only for Canada ;D
 

nick.rwth

Hero Member
Oct 7, 2014
231
7
Ontario
Category........
Visa Office......
Ottawa
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
Nomination.....
EE 474 points (6th draw)
visaowl said:
There are PhD's in Canada too.
About Canada I agree for 100%

Been a Postdoc here in Canada for 1 year and I know how local PhD works. Quite hard with exams and educational stuff.
Not 100% pure research+teaching
 

cherryvintage

Full Member
Aug 6, 2014
26
0
nick.rwth said:
You can use PhD experience as work experience.

I already contacted CIC about that and my German PhD is counted.

To others please do not deceive people, in India or Canada it could be different as people have classes and learning.

In Germany during PhD (in technical university):
-you employed as Research and Teaching Worker;
-you have no classes;
-you do not have exams;
-you do not have education progamm at all.
-research 80%, teaching 20%, classes 0%.

In contrary in my home country where many of my friends did PhD:
-they have 40% of learning classes
-then 50% of research activity
-10% of teaching.


It is very important to clear this.
In my particular case and PhD from German University can be counted. it also depend on University.

Thesis writing which you can count as learning took only last full 4 month from 4 years of PhD.

Did you had classes in Sweden?
Nick , Thanks for sharing your info. I also did my PhD from Europe and I didn't have to take any classes during those 4 years. We had student admission as a PhD but we also have staff benefits. Only one course (if you have attended any workshops, schools, then you don't have to take any course), 2 departmental seminars, 1 conference and min. two published articles we needed as a requirement (credits) for enrolling into the thesis defense, then of course the writing of thesis. I already got a letter from my Prof. that I worked as research assistant and was a full time employee with 80% research and 20% teaching activities (mentoring thesis students, assisting them in assignments etc).

I hope this as a work experience counts for me too.
 

maple325

Full Member
Sep 13, 2015
33
2
Germany
Category........
Visa Office......
Vienna
NOC Code......
2121
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
29-10-2015
Doc's Request.
not needed at this time
AOR Received.
29-10-2015
Med's Done....
09-11-2015
Interview........
not needed at this time
Passport Req..
11-04-2016
Thank you Nick!!!

I'm so glad I found this post because I had a near heart attack after finding out that my work experience while being a PhD candidate in Germany might not count. I'm VERY relieved now. :)

Do you know whether CIC automatically recognizes German PhD work experience (I provided a letter from my professor / employer with a list of duties and pay slips that also detail hours worked) or did you have to provide additional documentation? Thank you!

nick.rwth said:
You can use PhD experience as work experience.

I already contacted CIC about that and my German PhD is counted.

To others please do not deceive people, in India or Canada it could be different as people have classes and learning.

In Germany during PhD (in technical university):
-you employed as Research and Teaching Worker;
-you have no classes;
-you do not have exams;
-you do not have education progamm at all.
-research 80%, teaching 20%, classes 0%.

In contrary in my home country where many of my friends did PhD:
-they have 40% of learning classes
-then 50% of research activity
-10% of teaching.


It is very important to clear this.
In my particular case and PhD from German University can be counted. it also depend on University.

Thesis writing which you can count as learning took only last full 4 month from 4 years of PhD.

Did you had classes in Sweden?
 
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Reactions: mbaleine

AshyMashy

Newbie
Apr 10, 2016
6
1
nick.rwth said:
You can use PhD experience as work experience.

I already contacted CIC about that and my German PhD is counted.

To others please do not deceive people, in India or Canada it could be different as people have classes and learning.

In Germany during PhD (in technical university):
-you employed as Research and Teaching Worker;
-you have no classes;
-you do not have exams;
-you do not have education progamm at all.
-research 80%, teaching 20%, classes 0%.

In contrary in my home country where many of my friends did PhD:
-they have 40% of learning classes
-then 50% of research activity
-10% of teaching.


It is very important to clear this.
In my particular case and PhD from German University can be counted. it also depend on University.

Thesis writing which you can count as learning took only last full 4 month from 4 years of PhD.

Did you had classes in Sweden?
Nick thank you so much for your excellent input! I'm just trying to re-confirm if this is still the case? I have 3 years and 8 months paid PhD research experience here in Australia and I need to see if this can be counted toward my foreign work experience for CRS? I'd very much appreciate your feedback on this. Thank you!

Cheers,
Ash
 

amanjpro

Star Member
Aug 8, 2015
98
20
Category........
Visa Office......
Vienna
NOC Code......
4012
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
20-12-2015
AOR Received.
21-12-2015
Passport Req..
13-05-2016
VISA ISSUED...
27-05-2016
We will soon reach my first 4 months after AOR. And we are using
PhD work experience gained in Switzerland for our application.
According to GCMS notes everything is good so far, but no PPR yet.
 

AshyMashy

Newbie
Apr 10, 2016
6
1
Thank you for your feedback Amanjpro! Just wondering if you also applied under the new system or was it different when you applied? Also, did you choose your PhD as experience under NOC 4012 or did you choose it under a code specific to your field of research? Many thanks!
 

amanjpro

Star Member
Aug 8, 2015
98
20
Category........
Visa Office......
Vienna
NOC Code......
4012
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
20-12-2015
AOR Received.
21-12-2015
Passport Req..
13-05-2016
VISA ISSUED...
27-05-2016
AshyMashy said:
Thank you for your feedback Amanjpro! Just wondering if you also applied under the new system or was it different when you applied? Also, did you choose your PhD as experience under NOC 4012 or did you choose it under a code specific to your field of research? Many thanks!
If you mean by new the "Express Entry" system, then yes every application since Jan 2015 are under Express Entry.
We chose NOC 4012 for our experience.