Post-Graduation Work Permit Program (for international students studying for min 8 months in Canada)

If you want to work in Canada after you graduate from your studies, you must apply for a work permit under the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program. (Source:a)

About the program in one snapshot (as extracted from various documents and links mentioned later)

1. Job Offer letter required for applying
2. Job has to be in the field of study
3. Employer doesn't need labour market opinion from Service Canada/Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC)
4. Apply within 90 days of final mark issue
5. Get a letter of study completion from college or a notification of graduation
6. Have valid student permit at time of application
7. Person can leave Canada with new documents (point need to be checked further)

Post-Graduation Work Permit Program: The Post-Graduation Work Permit Program allows students who have graduated from a participating Canadian post-secondary institution to gain valuable Canadian work experience in their field of studies. This program allows all participants to work up to one year in the Montréal, Toronto or Vancouver areas, and to work up to two years everywhere else in Canada. (Source: a)

A work permit under the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program cannot be valid for a longer period than the length of your studies. For example, if you graduate from a four-year degree program, you could be eligible for a one- or two-year work permit if you meet the criteria. If you graduate from an eight-month certificate program, you would be eligible for a work permit that is valid for no more than eight months.(Source: a)

Who may apply for a work permit of up to one year under this program? (Source: b)

You may apply for a work permit of up to one year if you:

• graduated from a program of full-time study (of at least eight months) at:
  • a public post-secondary institution; or
  • a private post-secondary institution that operates under the same rules and regulations as a public institution, receives at least 50 percent of its financing for its overall operations from government (currently, only private college-level educational institutions in Quebec fit that description); or
  • a Canadian private institution authorized by provincial law to confer degrees.
• have a job offer from an employer for a job that is related to your field of studies;
• have a valid study permit when you apply for the work permit; and
• have not previously been issued a work permit for post-graduation employment following any other course of study.

 

Working after graduation—How to apply (Source:c)

If you want to work after completing your studies in Canada, you must apply for a post-graduation work permit, if you meet all of the eligibility requirements.

There are five steps to apply for the post-graduation work permit:

1. Obtain an application kit
2. Read the guide.
3. Complete the application form and attach the necessary documents.
4. Pay the fee and get the necessary receipt.
5. Mail the application form and documents.

 

What is required in the job offer letter? (Source: d)

This letter must be an original letter on company letterhead and must contain the following:

1. Job title & job description (the job must be related to the student’s field of studies)
2. The education, skills and experiences required for the job
3. Start date of employment
4. Salary and other job benefits
5. Average number of hours of work per week
6. Address of the location of employment where student will be working

 

Sources:

(a) http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/study/work-postgrad.asp

(b) Applying for a Work Permit - Student Guide:

http://www.cic.gc.ca/ENGLISH/pdf/kits/guides/5580E.PDF

(c) http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/study/work-postgrad-how.asp

(d) http://www.sds.uwo.ca/int/documents/postgrad_employer.pdf

 

Other Useful links:

• http://www.cic.gc.ca/ENGLISH/information/applications/work-students.asp
• http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/en/workplaceskills/foreign_workers/intstugrad.shtml
• http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/extend-worker.asp
• http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/medical/medexams-temp.asp
• http://www.canadaworkpermit.com/faq/general.html

Disclaimer: The post just has information collected from different links. Certain information and procedures mentioned here might change with time and the blog-author takes no responsibility for any consequence emerging out of the information presented and if it is out-dated.

Trends Affecting Recruiter Attitudes

TopMBA indicates the following trends..

• Globalization
• Salary Equalization
• Business upswing cycle
• Small companies employment trend

Details at link

All About Blu-ray

With the end of format war and winning of Blu-ray, its time we get accustomed to what Blu-ray really it..the article from Tech2 helps a bit.
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The format war is over, and Blu-ray has won. During the war the Sony camp was referred to as the Boys in Blue, while HD DVD were the Boys in Red. Slowly and steadily the latter became less and less of a contender, and then it happened: one of the biggest Reds (Warner) upped and left. After that HD DVD came crashing down, and the lights finally went out late last week.

So Blu-ray is our next form of optical storage, and it will become popular in India soon. Demand has to be created for the product – and this time let's please not dilly-dally, we always lag behind when it comes to tech stuff (whiny tone). We enjoyed some HD content through our PS3, and it looks insane. So it's about time.

Complete article at link

Consumers Can Sue Microsoft Over Vista

A federal judge said Friday that consumers may go ahead with a class action lawsuit against Microsoft Corp. over the way it advertised computers loaded with Windows XP as capable of running the Vista operating system.

The lawsuit said Microsoft's labeling of some PCs as "Windows Vista Capable" was misleading because many of those computers were not powerful enough to run all of Vista's features, including the much-touted "Aero" user interface.

U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman certified the class action suit but whittled down its scope to focus primarily on whether Microsoft's "Vista Capable" labels created artificial demand for computers during the 2006 holiday shopping season, and inflated prices for computers that couldn't be upgraded to the full-featured version of Vista, which was released at the end of January 2007.

Complete news at link

Canadian Permanent Residents Vs H1B Holders

I found this in a mail from an immigration consultant. I am not sure how much this is true but it really is a good starting point!

Canadian Permanent Residents Vs H1B Holders
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While we apprise you of some of the interesting facts about Canada, we are excited to present you a crystal clear comparative analysis between a H1B Visa Holder in USA and a Canadian Permanent Resident based on the feedback received from many of our clients who currently hold an H1B status.

1.H1B visa holders can not change sponsoring employer whereas Canadian Permanent Residents are free to move between jobs and locations, work on contract as a consultant, which could result in tax benefits.

2.H1B visa holders are unable to start own business whereas Canadian Permanent Residents can commence their own businesses.

3.Many H1B visa holders face the risk of going back to their home country if their Green Cards are not applied before the 6-year limit or when H1B expires, such is not the case with Canadian Permanent Residents. No such risk exists. At the very outset, new immigrants receive a permanent residence visa (very similar to the USA Green Card).

4.H1B visa holders cannot sponsor dependents other than spouse/children, whereas, once you are a permanent resident, you can sponsor other family members also who are dependent on you (brothers, sisters, parents etc.)

5.If a spouse of H1B visa holders wishes to work, he/she has to arrange for sponsorship from potential employers; thus creating a barrier to finding employment, whereas in case of Permanent Residents, spouse can legally work in Canada, as he/she also has the Permanent
Resident status - no permits or authorizations needed.

6.Citizenship - is a LONG wait. First the green card and then many more years to citizenship. Whereas, in Canada 3 years of residence entitles you to apply for citizenship. Canadian Citizens does not need H1B to work in USA.

Pursuant to new IRPA a permanent resident only has to stay 2 years in 5 years period to maintain his/her permanent resident status.