Hey there, need advice

[tim85]

Hi everyone!

I am seeking advice, not sure if this is the correct forum to seek advice but.. here goes. I am currently living in St. Lucia, I am 25 years old and I have a bachelor's degree in Information Technology (I did all my schooling in America). I have no "on paper" experience with any company when it comes to my area of expertise. I've done a bunch of freelance work on the side though, and just personal tasks to improve my knowledge on certain topics. So I haven't had a "real" job in a sense.

I'd like to seek permanent residence in Canada, what options do I have? I've taken an IELTS test already and didn't qualify for express entry due to lack of experience in my field. Let me know please, it will be appreciated! I'm open to anything, i'd even take care of an elderly person or something.

Thanks for your time.

 

[bellaluna]

Hi everyone!

I am seeking advice, not sure if this is the correct forum to seek advice but.. here goes. I am currently living in St. Lucia, I am 25 years old and I have a bachelor's degree in Information Technology (I did all my schooling in America). I have no "on paper" experience with any company when it comes to my area of expertise. I've done a bunch of freelance work on the side though, and just personal tasks to improve my knowledge on certain topics. So I haven't had a "real" job in a sense.

I'd like to seek permanent residence in Canada, what options do I have? I've taken an IELTS test already and didn't qualify for express entry due to lack of experience in my field. Let me know please, it will be appreciated! I'm open to anything, i'd even take care of an elderly person or something.

Thanks for your time.

You're still very young, so you have the luxury of time. Can you find a relevant job in IT in your home country, or anywhere else you can work legally?
You would need at least 1 year of full-time work experience to qualify for Express Entry; 3 years to get the maximum points for that criterion.

If for some reason, you have client invoices from your freelance work, and documents like tax returns, etc., and those equate to at least one year of full time experience, you can declare that towards your work experience.

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/eligibility/federal-skilled-workers/six-selection-factors-federal-skilled-workers.html

Documented work experience is absolutely key to an economic immigration program like Express Entry/Federal Skilled Worker. Why else would they want to pick you as an immigrant unless it's for Canada's economic interests?


Other realistic-ish options for someone of your profile include the study permit to-work route (expensive, takes more time), or spousal sponsorship (you know, not cool if you're doing it for immigration fraud).

IMO, Express Entry is still your best bet, you just have to work a little more.

 

[tim85]

You're still very young, so you have the luxury of time. Can you find a relevant job in IT in your home country, or anywhere else you can work legally?
You would need at least 1 year of full-time work experience to qualify for Express Entry; 3 years to get the maximum points for that criterion.

If for some reason, you have client invoices from your freelance work, and documents like tax returns, etc., and those equate to at least one year of full time experience, you can declare that towards your work experience.

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/eligibility/federal-skilled-workers/six-selection-factors-federal-skilled-workers.html

Documented work experience is absolutely key to an economic immigration program like Express Entry/Federal Skilled Worker. Why else would they want to pick you as an immigrant unless it's for Canada's economic interests?


Other realistic-ish options for someone of your profile include the study permit to-work route (expensive, takes more time), or spousal sponsorship (you know, not cool if you're doing it for immigration fraud).

IMO, Express Entry is still your best bet, you just have to work a little more.

Wow, thank you so much for taking the time to respond. I had a customer service job (remote only) for a year and a half but it was not IT based.. would that be an issue? I recently lost that job due to COVID-19 but if I can put that as reference, that would be great. I will look into the student option as well, may go for my Masters if possible.

 

[scylla]

Wow, thank you so much for taking the time to respond. I had a customer service job (remote only) for a year and a half but it was not IT based.. would that be an issue? I recently lost that job due to COVID-19 but if I can put that as reference, that would be great. I will look into the student option as well, may go for my Masters if possible.

Customer service jobs are typically classified as NOC C - meaning this work experience is not counted towards Express Entry since it's not a skilled role. Most likely this work experience will not help you to qualify for Canadian PR.

To have the highest chance of qualifying, you really need to get at least one year of full time work experience in a skilled profession.

 

[primaprime]

Wow, thank you so much for taking the time to respond. I had a customer service job (remote only) for a year and a half but it was not IT based.. would that be an issue? I recently lost that job due to COVID-19 but if I can put that as reference, that would be great. I will look into the student option as well, may go for my Masters if possible.

A Canadian master's degree is probably one of the better routes, albeit one of the more lengthy and expensive ones.

 

[tim85]

Customer service jobs are typically classified as NOC C - meaning this work experience is not counted towards Express Entry since it's not a skilled role. Most likely this work experience will not help you to qualify for Canadian PR.

To have the highest chance of qualifying, you really need to get at least one year of full time work experience in a skilled profession.

Thanks for the information. I will do my best to apply to as many IT based jobs as I can and wish for the best.

A Canadian master's degree is probably one of the better routes, albeit one of the more lengthy and expensive ones.

Yeah, I was doing some research today and the cost is quite high, because I will be paying the international rate. But now that I know that's an option I will definitely keep it open. Thanks.

 

[tim85]

One more question,

Do I need to MOVE to Canada to attend school? Or can I do a Masters program online? Will online still make me qualify for permanent residency?

 

[bellaluna]

One more question,

Do I need to MOVE to Canada to attend school? Or can I do a Masters program online? Will online still make me qualify for permanent residency?

If you ask me, getting a Canadian degree is moot if you can't get a post-graduate work permit out of it. And qualifying for a PGWP requires that you do majority of your credits in Canada, full-time.

The post-graduate work permit then will allow you to ideally earn at least a year of full-time Canadian work experience, which immediately opens up more pathways to immigrate (Canadian Experience Class and other provincial nomination programs) compared to doing it from overseas.

Now you see why the study-to-immigrate route is more expensive and time-consuming.

Overview of the different ways to immigrate to Canada. Please take the time to understand and read; you will not understand this all in a day or even a week:
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada.html

More on PGWP: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/publications-manuals/operational-bulletins-manuals/temporary-residents/study-permits/post-graduation-work-permit-program.html

 

[tim85]

Thank you so much Bellaluna, I appreciate the time you take to respond!