Permanent Residence Before Graduation!

Dai Mi (International Student): Hi Ms. Gong, I am currently a third-year international student attending the University of Toronto. Right now, I pay around 50-60 thousand Canadian dollars in tuition fees every year, it is very expensive! My fellow classmates are also worried about finding a job after graduation. A lot of my friends have found jobs, but after working for a year, their company refused to give them a Letter of Support for immigration. Therefore, I am also very worried about my immigration status after I graduate. Ms. Gong, I was wondering if you knew of any fast methods that will help international students like me gain their PR status?

Ms. Susan Gong (CEO)： I understand your concern, as this is a very common problem amongst the international students that come to us for help. Oftentimes, students will find themselves in this situation where they would study for 4 years, then stay in Canada to work for another year, but will face many obstacles when they apply for immigration. There are also many who cannot find a job at all! They will spend 6 months or longer looking for a job while their work permit is only valid for 2-3 years. Fortunately, I have very good news for you. Right now, the Government of Canada has a great new program called the ‘Start-up Visa’ that is very suitable for students just like you.

James Metcalfe (Special Advisor): The ‘Start-up Visa’ was introduced in Canada several years ago in response to concerns of people who were coming to Canada to start businesses and running into obstacles due to a lack of knowledge and a lack of basic context in Canada. The ‘Start-up Visa’ and the associated companies that provide services, called incubators, have managed to put together programs for individuals to teach them about how to do business in Canada. It’s proved to be, in my opinion, very successful. We have been fortunate enough to have several clients who have gone through this program and have received permanent residence in Canada in a very short period of time – usually under one year’s time.

Ms. Susan Gong (CEO): The best part about this program is that students can apply for it. This is because this program does not require any net assets or managerial experience. Therefore, after the student is done at least one year of study, they can apply for this program. The language requirements are also very low – you only need English CLB 5 or IELTS score of 5. And in terms of tuition fees, there is a drastic price difference between international and domestic fees. As you were saying, you are currently paying around 50-60 thousand Canadian dollars in tuition, while a domestic student would only need to pay around 15 thousand Canadian dollars. In addition, this program is also very fast, as most applicants get their PR status in about a year’s time or less. Therefore, the successful applicant can start paying domestic tuition fees with their new PR status and they would not need to worry about getting a work permit and finding a job after graduation.  As you know, finding a job with PR status is a very different experience than if you were to have a work permit instead. Many Canadian companies prefer hiring those with PR status instead of a work permit. In conclusion, the ‘Start-up Visa’ is a very great immigration option for international students!

Dai Mi (International Student): I do have one big concern though regarding this program: what if I do not have an innovative business venture idea?

Ms. Susan Gong (CEO): That is not something you need to be so concerned about, as we can provide you full entrepreneurial guidance throughout this process. In addition, the ‘Start-up Visa’ applicant needs to be supported by a Canadian government designated investment institution (VCs/angels/incubator), which we will also help you out with.

Let me tell you about one of our successful clients that gained his PR status through the ‘Start-up Visa’ program. He was an international student that had just finished his first year of university. He and his friends were working on an APP and came to us to inquire about the ‘Start-up Visa’. We helped him package his whole business venture and coached him on how to present this venture to the designated investment institutions (VCs/angels/incubators). By doing so, he gained a Letter of Support which was used to apply for immigration. He then gained his PR status in 12 months after applying.

All of our successful cases are on our website and also on our WeChat @cicvisa. Please take a look!