Extend your stay in Canada as an international graduate

Canada is introducing two permanent residence pathways for international student graduates who are likely to have the skills required to accelerate Canada’s post-pandemic economic recovery.

The new policies will be in place between May 6, 2021 and November 5, 2021. Candidates must be residing outside Quebec, or intend to reside outside Quebec to be eligible.

The first pathway is for all with a Canadian credential. Canada is looking to accept 40,000 applications through this temporary program. If this quota is achieved before November 5, 2021, this pathway will stop accepting applications.

The second is only for For this pathway, there is no intake cap. This is because there exists a shortage of French-speaking skilled workers who live in a province or territory other than Quebec.

Am I eligible for the PR pathway for English-speaking international graduates?

In order to be eligible for this pathway, candidates must have graduated from a Canadian designated learning institution no earlier than January 2017. They must have received an educational credential. This could be a university credential, a college credential, a credential from a trade/technical school or a Quebec CEGEP.

University credentials include an Associate’s degree, a Bachelor’s degree, a Master’s degree or a Doctorate. College credentials such as a degree, diploma, certificate or attestation, must follow a program of study that is at least eight months long. The combined duration of the credentials must be at least 16 months long. Diplomas of Vocational Studies (DVS) or Attestations of Vocational Specialization (AVS) must follow a program of study that is at least 900 hours long, and the combined duration of these credentials must be at least 1,800 hours long. Each combined credential must meet the program requirements and must be completed no earlier than January 2017.

Graduates of a trade/technical program who hold a degree, diploma, certificate or attestation may also be eligible. This credential must lead to the occupation of a skilled trade on this list of (NOC) groups:

Major Group 72: Industrial, electrical and construction trades;
Major Group 73: Maintenance and equipment operation trades;
Major Group 82: Supervisors and technical occupations in natural resources, agriculture and related production;
Major Group 92: Processing, manufacturing and utilities supervisors and central control operators;
Minor Group 632: Chefs and cooks;
Minor Group 633: Butchers and bakers.

Candidates must be employed in Canada with a valid permit or otherwise have authorization to work at the time the application is received.

They must meet the English or French language requirement of a (CLB) of 5.

In addition to these requirements, candidates must be living in Canada legally and should meet admissibility requirements. This means they should not be inadmissible to Canada for criminal or medical reasons.

Am I eligible for the PR pathway for French-speaking and Bilingual international graduates?

To be eligible through this pathway, candidates are expected to meet the same requirements outlined above, except that they must have at least an intermediate level of French in all four language skills: reading, writing, speaking, listening.

Candidates who wish to become permanent residents through this pathway must have a French language proficiency level of 5 according to the (NCLC).