Immigrating to Canada after studying in a Canadian university

[Bonushkie]

Hello! I've looked through a lot of these posts but I can't seem to find one that is completely relevant and gives me all the answers I need.

Anyway, I am currently working on completing my bachelors degree in my native country, and after that plan to get my masters degree in Canada.

The thing is, I hope to stay in Canada and immigrate once I am done with my masters degree(Or PhD if I need/want/afford it). How do I go about this properly? According to some sites, a STEM masters degree from a prestigious Canadian university will pretty much make it easy to get a permanent residence and that most graduates can apply after finishing their degree and are usually accepted. On other sites though, it says that such a thing is impossible and that unless I have a job offer in my field of study right after finishing my degree I pretty much have no choice but to return to my home country and forget about immigrating once and for all.

At first I thought that since some programs offer a year of work experience(Toronto apparently has a 2 year masters program and 8-12 months of work experience afterwards) that would count as eligible for permanent residence, but apparently since it isn't paid work it doesn't count. Also it seems that any work during the time I'm there on a student visa(such as on breaks etc.) also doesn't count, and that the only way to get in is to find a job during the year after the degree and that even if I do get a job an entry level job such as a cashier or waiter won't count and my permit will not be extended. I took 2 "are you eligible" tests from the government sites, the one that gives you a number score gave me an 82(which means eligible) but the other test told me I'm not eligible.

So can any of you help me out? There are still a few more years before I can apply and start studying in Canada, but I'd like to know every single detail ahead of time so that hopefully I don't fail. How can I properly do this and manage to immigrate while spending as little time as possible in the country I'm in now once I start my degree? I'm pretty confused because for every detail I learn about the process and how possible it would be for me I find something else that says the complete opposite.

 

[amira_mais]

You seem to already have the gist of the options and what will work/not work to get you PR, but I can clarify if it helps. If you complete a degree from a participating Canadian post-secondary institution, you would become eligible for a Post-Graduation Work Permit:

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/study/work-postgrad.asp

A PGWP is an open work permit allowing you to work anywhere in Canada for any employer. You can remain in Canada as long as the work permit is valid (the duration would match the length of your study program up to a max of 3 years). Make sure you use the permit for jobs deemed NOC 0, A or B, otherwise known as skilled jobs, because...

after gaining 12 months skilled work experience in a space of 3 years, you could then apply to the following immigration program specifically designed to transition international students and workers into permanent residents:

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/cec/index.asp

Once you enter Canada to begin your studies, you may well never have to leave if all goes well.

 

[Bonushkie]

I'm having a bit of trouble with the NOC website, do entry level jobs count? Say if I work at a restaurant or a shop(since even if I graduate with honors from the University of Toronto, what are the odds that in 3 years I'll manage to not only get a job in my field but also manage for a year without getting fired? Most graduates from any school seem to consider something like that happening as some kind of fairy tale that never really happens in real life) would that also work?

If the way it is in my country is any indication, even after you finish your degree most likely you'll be working entry level jobs for years because no one will hire a fresh out of school graduate. If these kind of jobs don't count, doesn't that kind of make it impossible? Over here I can barely even land an entry level job, and assuming this might be partly because of the culture(for some reason something about me sparks instant dislike/disdain with people in this country, while when I have traveled abroad the people are nice and I don't see even a bit of the sort of thing I experience here) I still would have no job experience so I doubt that even in 3 years I'll somehow make it to a manager position or something more than entry level. What kind of jobs that a new graduate could realistically get would be included in levels 0 A B? Sure getting a degree will give me some skills that will give me some kind of advantage in getting a job but my luck so far hasn't been that great so I don't think deluding myself into thinking that the second I graduate someone will instantly want to hire me in the field I studied would be realistic. So far from what I know of type 0, A, and B jobs they're all the kind of things you need prior experience to be hired, which I have none and probably will still have none by the time I start my masters.

 

[amira_mais]

An entry level job isn’t a barrier to qualify for the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) program – the criterion is that the job must be NOC 0, A or B. So for example, if you graduate with a Master’s in microbiology and get an entry level job in your field as a lab technician or technologist (NOC B), you’re fine in terms of meeting CEC requirements. You could also get a job outside your field of study – say as an administrative assistant (also NOC B), and use that experience to apply. Even if you’re overqualified for the job, or the salary is low, or you’re doing mostly grunt work, it doesn’t matter … as long as the job is classified NOC B at a minimum, you’re eligible to apply after 12 months. Because it’s hard, as you said, to get those 12 months experience, you have the leeway of accumulating it over 3 years.

Here’s a link to the NOC 2011 that CIC uses (note that HRSDC still uses NOC 2006). Take a look at the wide range of NOC B occupations, defined as “occupations usually requiring college education or apprenticeship training” - you should hopefully feel less discouraged after doing so.

http://www5.hrsdc.gc.ca/noc/english/noc/2011/html/Matrix.html

As you get close to graduation and begin your job search, just make sure you don’t fall below the B category – you’d probably aim higher if possible of course – but if you can’t, not to worry. No one expects someone a few years out of university to get a middle management job that quickly.

 

[Bonushkie]

And do I need to do this during the 3 years or also the year after my degree? I heard you automatically get a year to look for work after your degree, do you file for the post graduate work permit after that year and use the experience from those 4 years to apply or is that one year thing not even real and I should apply right as I graduate for those 3 years?

I really hope this will work because I am pretty socially awkward and I suck at interviews. Currently I can't seem to get anywhere when there's an interview involved but hopefully people will actually give me a chance when I'm a graduate with a masters from a top university and that the degree will give them a reason to forgive me for my sub-par social skills. I'm really hoping that now it's only a matter of not having skills to make up for that and that once I graduate employers will consider that instead of writing me off immediately like they do now(over here people really take it seriously, even mcdonalds didn't give me a second chance and they hire teenagers, but that could also change in a different country as it seems people's reactions to me here and elsewhere are like night and day)

 

[scylla]

My two cents...

I would recommend you work on your interview skills. Obviously qualifications and experience are important - but employers are also looking to determine if they will be able work well with you and if you will be a fit for their team. "Fit", communication and other soft skills are very important here. Sometimes even more important than qualifications if the work involves projects / working with others. Very few jobs these days are truly done alone - most are collaborative.

I am someone who does a fair amount of hiring. Just last week, my colleague and I did not invite a well qualified candidate to second round interviews simply because we couldn't warm up to him (he wasn't very personable during his first round of interviews) and we didn't see him being a fit for our team. Great qualifications on paper. Unfortunately he fell flat in person.

You communicate very well in writing. Work on translating that into your in-person communication style. It's really important in landing a job.

 

[Bonushkie]

Also apparently at Toronto you get 8-12 months of work experience with the degree, can that be some sort of gateway to further jobs? And even if I do get a low level 0 A or B job like a lab tech or whatnot(are those jobs fairly easy to get? I'm not sure what to look for but I want to be super ready since I've been dreaming of escaping this country for over 10 years and I DO NOT want to fuck up) will that still be enough to support myself and have sufficient funds to be eligible for permanent residence and maybe even work up to better positions from there? If going to grad school in Canada, getting the work permit and completing all the necessary steps will lead to me being able to permanently live in a new country while supporting myself financially I'll finally be free. I despise living in this country and have been wanting to get out for most of my life here, and have rather toxic parents who I have been told fit the criteria for being psychologically abusive sometimes. If I never have to leave the country once I get there AND can work and support myself, it means they won't own me anymore and I can finally start my life for real.

</sobstory>

Either way, are there specific science related fields that are better to get my degree in than others? And what university besides Toronto would be good for this kind of thing?(I heard there are recruiters at certain universities that can get you paid summer internships and maybe job openings etc.) I probably shouldn't put all my eggs in one basket and apply to more than one school in case my total average for my bachelors falls a bit short of 80%. My major will be molecular biotech(it's apparently either that, ecology, marine biology and another thing I can't remember but don't want to pick) but there are courses in chemistry, physics, biochemistry, immunology, ecology, genetics... I checked the course list and there's a massive list including many many subjects so I have quite a few places I can go with this for a second degree. I'm still early enough in my studies where I haven't been exposed to most of these things so I have time to choose, but if there's a certain field I'll have an easier time finding work in I should probably know which one it is.

 

[scorpion_ca]

1 - Try to improve your interview skills. Somehow you might be able to receive PR in Canada but that would not guarantee a professional job.
2 - If you have enough money, try International Masters Graduate Stream in the province of Ontario or Saskatchewan.

http://www.ontarioimmigration.ca/en/pnp/OI_PNPSTUDENTS_MASTERS.html

http://www.saskimmigrationcanada.ca/student

 

[Bonushkie]

I could improve them, maybe take classes or something? I think with some work I could make an improvement, also I've been told that when I'm in other countries I give off a much happier and more confident vibe than I do here(not sure if true or if it even means everything, this place does wear me down but I can't put all the blame for my shortcomings on that) so that might add to said improvement?

I don't have a lot of money, my parents are going to help me during my studies and at some point there's always the chance they will cut off their help when they realize that I'm not planning on returning(of course if it makes me happy and I fare better there than here they might be ok with it but I need to acknowledge the possibility). And I'm not talking about a professional job. I mean that could come later, but at least a job that will pay me so that I can support myself, don't people with full time jobs that get paid minimum wage still live on their own without their parents or anyone else supplying them with money? Sure it won't be a luxurious life by any means at least at the beginning while I'm working towards my permanent residence and after I receive it and work to become a citizen, but I just meant generally earning enough in a full time 0, A, or B job to support myself so that generally I'm not dependent on anyone else to survive(Talking about after my masters, not sure if I'll want/need/will be able to afford a PhD but from what I know now I probably won't have massive loans to pay like most Americans do after college) and maybe even save up that 10k for the permanent residence during the 3 years of studying and following 3 years on the work permit.

And I plan to study in Ontario(Thought either that or BC but probably Ontario), I know Toronto is considered the #1 in the country but any other good universities for science subjects would be good(Hell it's all "big city" to me, some of your smaller cities have a bigger population than half my country), I've googled but it seems Canadians talk an insane amount of shit about every single university you have. I'm not completely sure if university rankings have any effect on employers' willingness to hire graduates but if they do I should probably aim for the highest, whatever those are, and have a few potential places lined up in case I don't get in to Toronto

 

[scylla]

The university you attend can certainly impact how employers see you. For example, an MBA from a school like University of Toronto or Queens is regarded quite differently than the same degree from a place like Lakehead or Brock. So yes - rankings do matter and if you can, you should pick a good school.

 

[Bonushkie]

I checked out queens, they have a list of requirements for international students yet my country does not appear on the list. Does that mean they don't accept people from there or just that the information isn't available?

Also what other universities besides Toronto and queens are good for this? I guess I should have at least 3-5 options and while I am signed up to re-take a few tests my first semester doesn't look too great at the moment(hopefully the rest will make up for it)