I recently graduated as an international student in Canada. Can I apply for permanent residence?
As a recent graduate, you may qualify for the Canadian Experience Class Program. You must meet all of the following requirements.
- You plan to live outside the province of Quebec.
- You have at least 12 months of full-time (or an equal amount in part-time) in an occupation at NOC TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 in Canada in the three years before you apply,
- You have gained your experience while working legally in Canada after you graduated,
- You meet the required language levels needed for your job for each language ability (speaking, reading, writing, and listening).
You must have gained your work experience after you have graduated. You cannot include work you did while you were a student. You do not have to be working when you apply.
You may also qualify for other permanent residence programs. If you would like to assess your qualifications to determine which immigration programs you may qualify under, please use the Come to Canada tool.
Note: Completing an Express Entry profile is the first step to immigrate to Canada permanently as a skilled worker. Completing an Express Entry profile does not guarantee that you will receive an Invitation to Apply for permanent residence. An Invitation to Apply for permanent residence will be based on your score and rank in the Express Entry pool using the Comprehensive Ranking System.
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