A lot of international students who complete their studies at Canadian college university decide to move
permanently to Canada. Fortunately, the Canadian government offer a lot of pathways to such students
who wish to transition to Canadian PR status.
Several permanent residency programs in Canada give preference to those applicants who have prior
connection to Canada, which could be ties with any specific province, a past study or Canadian work
experience.
Most of the Canadian international students are benefited from a few or all of the above mentioned
factors if they decide to apply for Canada PR visa. However, the noteworthy point here is that as an
international students you must ensure that you meet all the conditions as per your study permit
throughout your stay in Canada. Any violation of the terms and conditions of your study permit, may put
your future immigration plans in trouble.
Canada immigration options for International Students
Following are the ideal programs for recent graduates:
1. Canadian Experience Class- Managed by Federal Express Entry system, the CEC program is one
of the fastest pathways to Canadian PR. The key eligibility factors include age, education level,
language proficiency.
One of the most important criteria for selection is to have minimum 12-months of full-time,
continuous, skilled work experience gained in Canada within past 3 years, or an equal amount of
part-time work experience. Also, the work experience has to be gained after completing your
studies. Any work experienced gained during full-time study will not be counted towards 12-
month mandatory requirement.
2. Federal Skilled Worker Program- The FSWP is also managed under Federal Express Entry system
and is indeed an ideal option for those international graduates who doesn’t have Canadian work
experience. Unlike CEC, you don’t need a Canadian work experience to qualify.
One of the key criteria to qualify for FSWP is to have minimum 12-months of continuous, full-
time, skilled work experience gained abroad in past 10 years or an equal amount of part-time
experience.
3. Provincial Nominee Program- Each Canadian province and territory operate its own
immigration programs, which is known as Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). Each PNP has
different set of requirements, process and protocols as each one is designed to meet specific
provincial needs.
A lot of PNPs have preferences for those applicants who have prior connections to the province
like, previous study finished in the province or work experience gained there. Based on the
province where you as an international student finished your study program, you may become
eligible to apply for provincial nomination with that province to apply for Canada permanent
residence visa.
