Maintaining your CEC status in Canada with a Post-Graduate Work Permit

As part of Canada’s initiative to mold the immigration procedure to address the industry-specific labor crisis issues, IRCC has been organizing program-specific draws. In doing so, in the last few draws, only candidates from the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) and the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) have been issued invitations to apply for permanent residency. The last draw, where the candidates from all programs were called, was held on January 18 of this year.

Canadian Experience Class workers not to worry about applying PR before Work Permnit expires

Therefore, many Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates from the Express Entry pool who hold Post-Graduate Work Permits (PGWP) feel insecure regarding the possibility of getting the chance to apply for PR before their work permit is expired. Until now, Express Entry draws has been inclusive of all programs where they would issue the ITA to any candidate who has the minimum required Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score. 

Also read- Post Graduate Work permit in canada- How to obtaoin it?

A similar kind of anxious situation was created during the pandemic, although Immigration Minister Sean Fraser compensated for the pause in draws with an extension for those whose PGWP will be expiring. However, this time, any such announcement is not yet communicated to the candidates. For now, the solution for the PGWP holders is to apply for a work permit before their PGWP expires to continue working in the country as a temporary residency and apply in the next draw. There are options for work permits with or without any requirement for your employer to acquire a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). Moreover, there are programs like the Global Talent Stream, where one can get the LMIA in a concise period without much hassle. 

About Post Author

Aishani Pande

See author's posts