Planning to do two Ontario Graduate Certificates. Will it get me a 3 year PGWP?

[shefva]

Hi all,

I know this has been discussed to death (I went through some threads) but it doesn't seem clear for my case. So I'd really appreciate the help here.

I am a copywriter. I am looking to do my postgrad and eventually get a Canadian PR. I wanted to initially do an MFA in Creative Writing. There aren't too many courses in Canada to consider but my main issue the tuition is steep considering there is no placement or internship opportunity with such programs. I don't want to risk going into debt knowing that.

So I decided a safer bet would be to do an Ontario Graduate Certificate course in advertising or professional copywriting and gain experience. The program I aim for also promises placement/internship opportunities. The job boards are definitely a lot more promising for copywriters and I'll have the opportunity to pay off debt. But this would mean getting only a 1 year PGWP.

I do plan to do an MFA but not while I'll already be in debt. Maybe 2 years down the line from the grad certificate course My questions are:

Should I do another graduate certificate program in addition to the above one to get that sweet 2-3 year PGWP?

Or should I plan to start my masters in the year that my 1year work permit finishes?

Is it worth taking the risk? Or should I not even consider a 1year program? Is there a chance of landing a longer PGWP?

Sorry for the long post and thank you for any help.

 

[bongoman]

As long as both programs qualify and you follow the rules you will get 3 years PGWP.

There might be other options to get PR based on your point score & Express Entry there are also provincial nominations which might not require the 1 full year of Canadian work experience.

 

[shefva]

Thanks for the reply. How do I know if the programs qualify? They are from Designated Learning Institutes. Or are there more requirements?
I don't have a masters degree and I'm not married so those might cause a big dent in the points for the express entry. This is why I'm looking to take the study route. My work exp is a mix of freelance and company so that is another issue. I want to do an MFA that might give me a 3 year PGWP but not sure how effective that would be in a job search scenario compared to the copywriting graduate certificate