PATHWAYS TO PERMANENT
RESIDENCE
International students that complete post-secondary education in Canada have many opportunities to extend their stay and ultimately transition to permanent residence. Your Canadian education may put you at an advantage when it comes to pursuing permanent residence. Many federal and provincial immigration programs value candidates with Canadian education and work experience.
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After completing Canadian education, you can gain Canadian work experience after obtaining a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) enabling you to work in Canada for up to three years. While holding a PGWP, you can then go ahead and pursue a number of federal and provincial permanent residence avenues, such as:
EXPRESS
ENTRY
The most prominent way of pursuing permanent residence is by submitting an Express Entry profile. Express Entry is the main way that Canada manages economic class immigration applications.
Express Entry candidates are assessed through the Comprehensive Ranking System. The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) rewards candidates that are young, have Canadian education and work experience, and strong English and/or French proficiency. These are characteristics that many of Canada’s international students possess, and hence, they can expect to achieve a higher CRS score and inturn be granted PR within 6 months of qualifying and applying for the program.
Through Express Entry, former international students may be well-placed to be eligible for the popular Canadian Experience Class (CEC) program, which enables tens of thousands of former international students and temporary foreign workers to become permanent residents each year.
Provincial Nominee Programs
(PNP)
Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) allows provinces and territories across Canada to identify immigration candidates who meet their local economic needs. Many PNP streams reward candidates who are former international students or are specifically dedicated to international students.
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Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP)
British Columbia Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP)
Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP)
New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program (NBPNP)
Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Nominee Program (NLPNP)
Nova Scotia Nominee Program (NSNP)
Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP)
Prince Edward Island Provincial Nominee Program (PEI PNP)
Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP)
Northwest Territories Nominee Program (NTNP)
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QUEBEC
and
OTHER
Federal programs
Quebec is Canada’s second-largest province making it a very popular destination for international students. The province operates its own immigration system with programs that are different from those offered by the federal government and under the PNP. One of the notable ways it seeks to do this is through the Quebec Experience Program.
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In addition to the three programs it manages under Express Entry, the federal government operates additional economic class immigration programs, these include the Atlantic International Graduate Program (which operates under the Atlantic Immigration Pilot) and the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot.