Belmont said:
Hi
I have an open work permit for a year which I received after having graduated from Toronto, Ontario. I have now found a job in Quebec. Does my open work permit entitle me to work in Quebec and then apply for permanent residence or does the Quebec Government only considers those foreign students for permanent residency who have graduated from Quebec?
This is really confusing. What should I do?
Hi,
Yes, with PGWP, you are allowed to work, ANY job, ANYWHERE in Canada till your PGWP expires. So, you can go to Quebec, and start working. But remember, if you want to apply for Permanent Residence (PR), then you will NOT be eligible for Quebec student's selection programmes(CSQ). There 're 2 routes in Quebec - PEQ (direct selection/immediate processing within 20 days, no interview, no points, need to know intermediate level French, certain diplomas/degrees eligible) and Regular student's route (Points based selection, given point son area of training, specific Quebec degrees as listed/ some foreign degrees), and these are ONLY open for those studying/ or have studied (certain diplomas and degrees) in Quebec and with atleast intermediate/basic knowledge of French.
Neither you will be eligible for CEC, as for CEC you need to work in any skilled job for 1 year outside province of Quebec.
However, You will be eligible to apply for CSQ and then PR under Quebec temporary worker's stream, which again has 2 routes -Regular (points based... i.e provided, if you can score required points, need to do job for min. 1 year) or PEQ (direct selection/immediate processing within 20 days, no interview, no points, if holding or hv done a full time skilled job NOC C or higher for 12 months within last 24 months and hv intermediate knowledge of French).
To know more, visit Quebec immgrtaion website:
http://www.immigration-quebec.gouv.qc.ca/en/immigrate-settle/students/stay-quebec/application-csq/index.html
To know more baout point system for Quebec regular temporary worker stream and regular student's stream see:
http://www.canadavisa.com/quebec-skilled-worker-immigration.html
Honestly, 1 year PGWP is short..and a bit tight for many of us to find job, meet all requirements of the programme (CEC or PNPs), and then apply for PR.
Other options are (via student PNP)-- if you could find a job in Manitoba (where they accept any job, not just skilled, and one needs to work for only 6 months before applying for PNP) but then again..for students studied outside Manitoba, application processing time for PNP nomination may take longer time, and by then your PGWP may expire, before you get PNP nomination and once again you will have to run for LMO and stuff.
or
BEST, if you can find a NOC O,A,B(skilled jobs) or NOC C(semi skilled) job (preferably in your field of study but they accept other jobs too)
in the province of Nova Scotia, where they not only accept NOC C level jobs, but also you need to work for ONLY 3 months, before applying for NS PNP, and also they process their PNP nominations much faster (usually within 2-3 months), and you wont have a worry of your PGWP getting expired, as you will get your PNP nomination well within 1 year, i.e within max 3 months working+3 months PNP nomination processing time = total 6 months(from the time you start working) and then, you can peacefully apply for PR. So, you can immediately start searching and applying for Nova Scotia based NOC C or higher level jobs in job bank Canada and various other job sites. You MAY even consider moving to Halifax, NS right now... and search for a NOC O,A,B or C job, as physically being present there definitely increases your job chances.. Even better, if you have some contacts/friends/known people in Nova Scotia. Remember, nothing can be guaranteed... and ultimately getting PR all comes down to luck and individual circumstances.
To know about various student immgrtaion options in Canada (federal CEC and various PNPs), check out this older post:
http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/various-immigration-programmes-for-international-students-in-canada-t100908.0.html
Best of Luck.
***All opinions expressed are purely personal, and pieces of information mentioned are to the best of my knowledge... You should consult other sources too.
