Path to Permanent Residency in Canada

To Be Eligible for a Canadian Visa, You must;

• Have been accepted by a school, college, university, or other Canadian educational institutions.
• Provide proof in the form of bank statements, receipts, or certificates that you have enough money to pay for your Tuition and Living expenses.
• Not have a criminal record.
• Be in good health.

The validity period of the post-graduation work permit depends on the length of your study program. If your program was:

• Less than eight months: You aren’t eligible for a PGWP
• More than eight months but less than two years: Your PGWP will be valid for up to the same length as your study program
• Two years or more: a PGWP may be issued for three years
• More than one program: a PGWP may be valid for up to three years, for example, if you finished a diploma or degree from an eligible school in Canada, and within the next two years you get a one-year graduate degree or diploma from an eligible school in Canada.

Post-Graduation Employment Work Permits have a maximum validity of three years with no renewals.

There is also another common way students apply for and get selected for their permanent stay in Canada and that is the Dual Intent Permanent Residence Program.

Dual Intent Permanent Residence Program: Securing your stay!

You can also apply for this program starting two intents – one for temporary residence (for your studies) and one for permanent residence. Dual intent is present when a foreign national who has applied for permanent residence in Canada also apply to enter Canada for a temporary period as a visitor, worker or student.

Assessing Dual Intent 

As a student, you are eligible to apply for a dual intent visa if you have an admit for university education in Canada and you plan to settle here as well, later. In assessing your application for temporary residence an officer may also consider factors such as:

• The length of time you will be spending in Canada;
• The means of support;
• Obligations and ties in the home country; and
• Compliance with requirements applicable to temporary residents (visitors, students and workers).

Temporary residence status might be refused for several reasons, including:

• History of having contravened the conditions of admission on a previous stay in Canada;
• Lack of or insufficient proof of adequate funds to support oneself while in Canada, and to affect one’s departure from Canada;
• Medical issues;
• Not satisfying the visa officer that you will leave Canada at the end of their period of authorized stay, in case the permanent residence is not granted

Refusal to being granted dual intent

Note that refusal to being granted the Dual Intent does not stem from having two intents. They stem from having a single bona fide intent (i.e., to become a permanent resident) and misrepresenting the second intent (i.e., to become a temporary resident) in order to achieve the first intent.

For example, an applicant for a work or study permit who indicates that he or she has no intention of leaving Canada has demonstrated only a single intent – permanent residence. This is because the applicant has shown that they do not respect the terms and conditions of temporary residence, should they not qualify for a Permanent Resident stream.