Students – Opportunities for Work and Permanent Residence The opportunities for students to become permanent residents of Canada have grown dramatically in the recent months. On September 17, 2008, the Minister of Immigration announced the creation of the new Canadian Experience Class, which allows for students who have studied for 2 years in Canada and then obtained one year of further work experience to be eligible to apply for permanent residence from within Canada on an expedited basis. Many Provinces also have Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP), which allow for students who obtain an offer of employment from a Canadian employer to apply for permanent residence through their Provincial Nominee categories. In many of these programs, previous work experience is not necessary to obtain permanent residence status. In addition, on November 28, 2008, the Minister of Immigration announced the introduction of “Ministerial Instructions” to the skilled worker process, drastically limiting those applications that can be considered under the skilled worker category to merely 38 specific occupations. Given the severe restriction of eligible occupations under the skilled worker category, the option of coming to Canada to study and obtain permanent residence through either the CEC or PNP programs is a good option for students who ultimately want to be able to live in Canada permanently. Students also have considerable opportunities to work in Canada, given the Off-Campus work program and the Post-Graduate work program. The Off-Campus work program allows for a student who is attending full-time studies at one of our public Universities or Colleges to work up to 20 hours per week while pursuing their studies. Students must be attending class on a full-time basis and have completed at least 6 months of studies, and then they can obtain a work permit for the balance of their program, be it a one year certificate, two year diploma, or four year degree program. After graduating, students are also eligible for a post-graduate program from between one to three years, depending on their length of study in Canada. This work experience often allows them to qualify for permanent residence under the CEC class or will often lead to a permanent offer of employment from an employer so that they can meet the criteria of the PNP program. www.alexandercollege.com Catherine also works extensively with students from Alexander College. Alexander College is one of the recognized institutions by Immigration for the Off-Campus and Post-Graduate Degree work permit programs. For more information regarding Alexander College, please visit: www.alexandercollege.com. A list of designated institutions may be found here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/study/institutions/participants.asp#bc.