WINNIPEG: Before moving to Canada, international students face a lot of questions related to study, job and permanent residence.
1. Which universities to go to?
2. Which province has better universities?
3. Should I apply for Express Entry or Provincial Nominees Programme
(PNP)
4. What will be the cost of living?
5. What is the job market in that province?
Therefore, it’s always better to do some research about different universities, the immigration system of each province and the pros and cons of living there.
When students from India think of moving to Canada, the first place they think of going to is Toronto, Ontario, as it has the largest Indian population. But they ignore the fact that western Canada provinces such as Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia offer many more opportunities and benefits to live in. Western Canada has many renowned universities like the University of Calgary, the University of British Columbia, the University of Manitoba, etc. which offer a great variety of courses and future opportunities.
The second most important step after completing the study is to get a job and to plan for applying for permanent residence. There’s no doubt eastern Canada has more job opportunities, but due to a greater number of universities and higher population, it creates more difficulties to enter the job market as the competition is high.
Therefore, it gets tough for a fresh university graduate in eastern Canada to enter the job market with a few years of experience. As most companies look for experienced professional(s), with limited time on work-permit status and no job in hand most of the students don’t qualify for immigration requirements in eastern Canada.
Many of the students in Ontario and Quebec depend on Express Entry programme for getting PR. But to qualify for Express Entry, you need to have an average cut-off score of 450 CRS and a job of minimum NOC code B. Jobs with NOC code ‘C’ are not accepted in Express Entry.
Hence, only option left for them is to move to western provinces to qualify for PNP or to get field-related jobs. But the problem is that since these students are switching province for PR purpose, the rules and requirements change.
Take the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program (MPNP). If you’re a primary resident of Manitoba, you will qualify for Provincial Nominee Programme (PNP) in six months of full-time experience after completing your studies. But for students coming out of the province, they need to work for one full year to get eligible.
So, instead of wasting time and money in eastern Canada and then following the same path, why not plan ahead of time and move to western provinces and have an easy and better living.
In many western Canada provinces, students with NOC ‘C’ or those who get field job or are living and working in that province in any job stream can apply for MPNP-based PR, which will help them get extra points towards Express Entry PR Profile. Most western Canada provinces have at least 1-2 PNP draws each month unlike eastern Canada provinces.
Western Canada provinces have much to offer in terms of studies, living and immigration. In the last three years, we have seen hundreds of our students moving to these provinces after years of struggle in Ontario and Quebec as they were not able to secure proper jobs that can help them file for their PR application, plus high cost of living and limited time left on work permit/study permit.
Therefore, it’s better to plan properly before moving to Canada instead of following the crowd. Once you’re a PR and know better about Canada and its job market, you’re free to move wherever you like.
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