1 Year Study Program with 1 Year Post-Grad Work Permit (PGWP) to Permanent Resident via Express Entry
This general timeline contains links to detailed steps on how I did it.
September 2017: Started IT Business Analysis (1 year program) at NBCC Moncton
June 2018: Graduated
September 2018: Created Express Entry Profile: CRS Score 412
November 2018: Applied for New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program
February 2019: Provincial Nomination from New Brunswick: CRS Score updated to 991
February 2019: Federal Express Entry: Invitation to Apply
June 2019: Permanent Residency Approved
Taking 1 year program with 1 year PGWP is a possible but very tight path for Permanent Residency. I wouldn't recommend this route. It is always better to study 2 years because you will get 3 years PGWP which will give you so much time and experience for PR application.
But if you are willing to take the risk like me, please ensure that you have a strong work experience already that you can use for your Express Entry application.
Below is my background for your reference:
1. 7 years professional experience (Project Management Senior Analyst) in Philippines prior to applying for student visa. 1 company for 7 years, Accenture. I used this experience for my Express Entry profile.
2. Graduated in Industrial Engineering (5 years course) at the University of San Carlos Cebu. Canadian equivalent of 4 years Bachelor’s Degree as per WES Assessment.
3. Graduated as the student Valedictorian of NBCC Moncton. I considered this an asset for the company to retain me after my internship.
4. Got a skilled job (NOC 2171) in NB prior to graduation. This is my internship (requirement for graduation) which is supposed to be just 7 weeks but the company gave me 4 months paid internship. I continued working for them after graduation (using my student visa) and they offered me a permanent full time position a month after (when I got my Post-Grad Work Permit). When I got my full time position, it was only then that it was counted as work experience in Canada.
I didn’t get any points under Canadian Work Experience because it needs 1 year work experience here and I don’t have time to wait. But because of my job experience back home with WES and IELTS/CELPIP score, I was able to create an Express Entry profile and be in the pool.
Despite the background plus a certain points for studying 1 year here in Canada, I still got only 412 points. So I applied for a Provincial Nominee to help me increase my points.
Provincial nominee is not always open. So you have to constantly monitor the province website if they accept application or not. That’s why I am saying 1 year study permit plus 1 year PGWP is risky but possible.
I have given you background information, now it’s up to you to decide if you should take this risk.
Reading through my other posts will also give you an idea of what I went through on this journey. I suggest reading them in order from bottom topic to top.
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