Applicant from PhD program after 5 Nov, 2011 connect here to get status

[smallkick]

Hi everyone. I am very new here and I wish I found this forum before I sent my application. Office in Sydney received my application yesterday, April 5, 2013. I sent one before (in December 2012) and in January 2013 they sent me documents back saying I need to send them birth certificate (I hope it was only thing that they were missing as they highlighted it on checklist). I updated all documents and sent them references with new dates. As many other people mentioned before, now I am very worried about my reference letters. I have two part time jobs here in Canada for almost two years and I have been also TA for three years (will enter the fourth one in next school year). I meet all other criteria but I am scared now that my reference letters are too basic. They all follow Immigration office format on checklist and answer all their questions. So I hope it will work out good. I also have a child born here in 2010, and I have around 10 years working experience in my country. My question is if is it only Canadian working experience that is counted or do they accept our previous continuous experience? I will update about my progress.

Dont worry, " do they accept our previous continuous experience?" absolutely they will accept it. And now it appears those previous working experience in your back home is more recognized than that part time TA/RA's in Canada.

 

[ahmadimo]

If you are under 35, have a Master's degree and more than 17 years of education, and maxed out IELTS scores (at least 8 on reading, and at least 7 on the rest), then you only need continuous one year of work experience to get 68 points (WITHOUT adaptability).

Could you please give reference for this new IELTS point system? I have seen much lower IELTS scores (listening 7.5-9, Reading and writing & speaking: 6.5-9) to get max. point on CIC website.

Thanks

 

[hooman2012]

The question is whether or not applying for CEC in September would be faster than applying under PhD stream right now. If I was him, I would now apply under FSW PhD stream (you would get an extra 5 points for adaptability, so only 1,950 continuous hours are required from the past 10 years), then, if no medical yet by September, apply again under CEC. But then again, I am paranoid, so not sure if this would be the best path.

CEC is super fast these days (and has always been) compared to FSW. Two of my friends applied under CEC last year after me (I gave them the template of my letters for RA/TA work experience, and they used it, even the wording was similar), and both have already LANDED! It does look like that CEC can be faster than FSW by 4 to 5 months (one of my friends applied on March 2012, and landed by November; the other one applied on May, and got his PR a month ago).

Now, if you have Canadian experience, all you need is just 1 year of work experience, and there is no need to have obtained a Canadian degree (RA/TA, unfortunately, is NO LONGER accepted for CEC)! So by September, you can claim up to 30 hours a week for your work as a researcher (you CANNOT claim more than 30 hours a week for CEC), and if you have 1,560 hours, then you're eligible.

I have take a look at the web site , still NOC 4012 is there for CEC. Why not?

 

[salam20]

Yes, it is all about RA. Different projects which I have been attached to, all the journal papers and conference presentations for each project, and my duties for each of them (duties are more or less the same for all of projects, but I repeated them under each project title)

did you include the leading statement that says:
" Post-secondary teaching and research assistants assist university professors, community college and CEGEP teachers and other faculty members in teaching and research activities at universities and colleges."


did you include the last sentence that says:
" Post-secondary teaching and research assistants specialize in a subject matter based on their field of study.
Employment requirements
Enrolment in a university or college program is required."

 

[aidina]

did you include the leading statement that says:
" Post-secondary teaching and research assistants assist university professors, community college and CEGEP teachers and other faculty members in teaching and research activities at universities and colleges."


did you include the last sentence that says:
" Post-secondary teaching and research assistants specialize in a subject matter based on their field of study.
Employment requirements
Enrolment in a university or college program is required."

Yes, I have included those lines in a way in my new reference letter.

 

[hooman2012]

Yes, I have included those lines in a way in my new reference letter.

I also even include those on my old letters.

 

[hooman2012]

But these are copy and paste. right? I personaly did that but I am worry about it.

 

[asbereth]

Could you please give reference for this new IELTS point system? I have seen much lower IELTS scores (listening 7.5-9, Reading and writing & speaking: 6.5-9) to get max. point on CIC website.

Hi admadimo, you are right that, currently, 7.5 in listening, and 6.5 in all would be enough to max out first language points (16), ad this is the equivalent of CLB 8. But the requirement will change under the new rules. It is now at least 8 in reading, and 7 in the rest to max out first language points (24).

http://gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p1/2012/2012-08-18/html/reg2-eng.html

You need the equivalence of CLB 9 to get 6 points for each skill module, see the following link to work out the equivalency

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/guides/5609ETOC.asp#5609E5

Under the current system, you only need CLB 8 to max out language points, but the requirements will become more stringent with the new rules. Also, if any of your scores is less than 6, then you will get zero language points, and it would disqualify you from applying.

I have take a look at the web site , still NOC 4012 is there for CEC. Why not?

It's just not just NOC 4012, but

any period of employment during which the foreign national was engaged in full-time study shall not be included in calculating a period of work experience

So CO-OP experience, regardless of NOC number, will not be accepted for CEC. RA/TA as well, unless the applicant is somehow not engaged in full-time study (not really sure if there is any way around it for RA/TA). Maybe if you can somehow convince your supervisor and the registrar to change your status to part-time, while still maintaining the same level of funding, it may work?

 

[hooman2012]

Hi admadimo, you are right that, currently, 7.5 in listening, and 6.5 in all would be enough to max out first language points (16), ad this is the equivalent of CLB 8. But the requirement will change under the new rules. It is now at least 8 in reading, and 7 in the rest to max out first language points (24).

http://gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p1/2012/2012-08-18/html/reg2-eng.html

You need the equivalence of CLB 9 to get 6 points for each skill module, see the following link to work out the equivalency

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/guides/5609ETOC.asp#5609E5

Under the current system, you only need CLB 8 to max out language points, but the requirements will become more stringent with the new rules. Also, if any of your scores is less than 6, then you will get zero language points, and it would disqualify you from applying.

It's just not just NOC 4012, but
So CO-OP experience, regardless of NOC number, will not be accepted for CEC. RA/TA as well, unless the applicant is somehow not engaged in full-time study (not really sure if there is any way around it for RA/TA). Maybe if you can somehow convince your supervisor and the registrar to change your status to part-time, while still maintaining the same level of funding, it may work?

Dude, I can not find such a thing in Cic website. This is the eligibility, I can not see anything like that. Even in the document check list I can not see this.
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/cec/apply-who.asp

 

[asbereth]

Dude, I can not find such a thing in Cic website. This is the eligibility, I can not see anything like that. Even in the document check list I can not see this.
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/cec/apply-who.asp

Check Section 87 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations

http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/regulations/SOR-2002-227/page-38.html#docCont

(3) For the purposes of subsection (2),

(a) any period of employment during which the foreign national was engaged in full-time study shall not be included in calculating a period of work experience;

(b) any period of self-employment or unauthorized work shall not be included in calculating a period of work experience; and

(c) the foreign national must have had temporary resident status during their period of work experience and any period of full-time study or training.

Subsection 2 is described just above the aforementioned passage, which states the conditions for someone to be eligible under the CEC class.

Again, it need not be just RA/TA, but any job under any NOC. So if you have a part-time job while studying full-time, even if it is under skill level A, B, or O, and even if you have the best reference letter, with descriptions matching those the corresponding NOC, you still can't be eligible under CEC.

 

[hooman2012]

Let's hope that I do not get rejected. I hope this delay for my application means good thing.

 

[Houra]

Hi Houra,

Could you share the work experience letter for your second application? My application was rejected for working experience and duties this week. I plan to apply for the second time.
Thanks a lot in advance.

Hi,

I have included letters for both RA/TA and 3years other work experience from back home. My letters are pretty basic just saying the hours and the duties almost matching the NOC codes. AND I am not accepted yet, so there's no point in posting mine here... I myself am worried that it is not good enough...
Anyways, I hope we all get through...

 

[hamed_hamed_hamed]

Hi,

I have included letters for both RA/TA and 3years other work experience from back home. My letters are pretty basic just saying the hours and the duties almost matching the NOC codes. AND I am not accepted yet, so there's no point in posting mine here... I myself am worried that it is not good enough...
Anyways, I hope we all get through...

Prepare your new app. and hope the current one get accepted. That's all you can do.

 

[N_O]

Prepare your new app. and hope the current one get accepted. That's all you can do.

This is already the second time for Houra! Hopefully, s/he will make it this time.

Aseberth, would you please add Houra and me to the spreed sheet?

 

[aidina]

Hi,

I have included letters for both RA/TA and 3years other work experience from back home. My letters are pretty basic just saying the hours and the duties almost matching the NOC codes. AND I am not accepted yet, so there's no point in posting mine here... I myself am worried that it is not good enough...
Anyways, I hope we all get through...

Do not make it more complicated than it is. If your letter contains the essential information (i.e. hours spent, duties matching the NOC code, period of employment) that will work. My letter for TA was only 2 lines, believe me, it was JUST 2 lines, and the duties were exactly copied and pasted from the NOC site. The officer accepted my TA experience. This is what I had for my TA:

"Mr *** 's duties as a teaching assistant (about 10.5 hrs/week) involves conducting laboratory sessions, grading laboratory reports, and assistng in the administration of examinations." He has worked as a TA since Jan. 2010.

WE ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO WRITE A LONG STORY FOR THOSE OFFICERS.

I was rejected because of my RA part. Let's wee what I had written for that part:

"As a research assistant he works at ***** centre in the department of **** for 36.25 hrs/week"


And at the very begining of the letter it was saying I am enrolled as graduate student in the PhD program in the **** department of **** university since Jan. 2010.


Again, my TA was accepted, and it was not more than 2 lines. I do believe that the lagre number of rejections for the same reason has caused a fear among everybody. However, there is noting magic hidden in it. Just prepare a better reference letter. That is all what we need. And, if your letter already contains all the essential information , you will be fine even if your letters is short.