Manuel and his wife, Sol, were two doctors in their late forties, living in Mexico with their two
teenage daughters. When they decided to emigrate to Canada, they soon realized that, due to their age, they lost many points in the Express Entry program and would not stand a realistic chance at being selected for permanent residency. They decided to pursue a different strategy: study and work in Canada, and apply for permanent residency with a job offer. They started by selecting a study program for Sol at a university that qualified for a "post graduation work permit". They received student permits for Sol and their daughters, and Manuel received an open work permit. Upon arriving in Canada, Manuel immediately started looking for jobs. He could not practice in Canada as a doctor, however, he had owned a business in Mexico that rented medical machines to hospitals and clinics. This meant that he had business experience and was able to find a job in a company as a management consultant. After working in this company for one year, he applied to the BC PNP program because his company agreed to support his permanent residency application. After another year and a half of waiting for government processing, the family received their permanent residency status. The entire process took almost 4 years, and during this time, their daughters graduated from high school and started university. Sol received a Canadian educational credential which positioned her at an advantage to find work after graduation. Manuel and Sol are now in their early fifties, and are happy they made the decision to take a chance, invest in a study program in Canada and move their family to British Columbia. They are ready to apply for citizenship and they still have many years ahead of them to continue building their careers and the future of their daughters in their new home country.
This story is not uncommon. Many families chose to immigrate to Canada by first investing time and money in studying. Studying in Canada has several advantages as it offers a network of local peers and teaches immigrants about Canadian professional ethics. Additionally, students graduate with up-to-date knowledge that can be valuable in the labor market: Canadian companies recognize the educational institution on the resumes and trust the knowledge of the applicant is relevant to Canadian industry needs. Because spouses and common law partners of students also receive a work permit, and children receive student permits, families can move together and support each other during the process, and the experience can be positive for everyone.
In order to find out if this is the best strategy for your family to immigrate to Canada, book a consultation today with Regulated Canadian Immigration Rita Benkhalti for an assessment of your profile.