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Immigration Update on Federal Skilled Worker Program: PhD Stream

June 29, 2012
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In November 2011, Citizenship & Immigration Canada announced a new PhD eligibility stream in the Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) program, which intended to accept up to 1,000 international PhD students per year as permanent residents of Canada.

Application Eligibility:

You may be eligible to apply if you meet all other requirements and if you are either:

  1. An international student who is currently enrolled in a doctoral (PhD) program at an eligible post-secondary institution in Canada:
    • who has completed at least two years in a PhD program
    • who is in good academic standing AND
    • who is not a recipient of a Government of Canada award requiring you to return to your home country to apply your knowledge and skills
  2. OR an international alumna/alumnus who has completed an SFU PhD program no more than 12 months prior to the date your application is received by the Canada Immigration Office in Sydney, Nova Scotia.
    • who did not receive a Government of Canada award that required you to return to your home country to apply your knowledge and skills; or if you were a recipient of such an award, you have satisfied the terms of the award.

Letter from the Office of the Dean of Graduate Studies:

In your application package, you will be required to include an official letter of attestation from the Dean of Graduate Studies.

For current students, the letter contains the following attestations:

  • that the applicant is currently enrolled in a PhD program and has completed at least two years towards its completion; AND
  • that the applicant is deemed in good academic standing to the satisfaction of the institution.

Current PhD students can request the official letter of attestation from the Office of the Dean of Graduate Studies. Please specify "Permanent Residency applicant under PhD stream" on the request form so the correct documentation can be issued for you. In order to be accepted, it must be stamped with the official University seal.

Note: SFU alumni should order an official transcript to satisfy the requirement on the checklist.

Important Update: May 6, 2013

  • Citizenship and Immigration Canada has just announced that they will accept 1,000 applications from May 4, 2013 to April 30, 2014.
  • Applicants applying as of May 4, 2013 must use the new application kit and meet the new requirements in order to apply. See the CIC website for details.
  • PhD applicants must meet the same criteria as any other FSWP applicant, including minimum language requirements, having either a completed Canadian educational credential or a completed foreign credential with an Education Credential Assessment, and work experience requirements (i.e. one year of continuous full-time or continuous part-time equivalent paid experience in a single NOC 0, A or B occupation).
  • Even if your application is eligible to be processed, you must meet all of the other FSW program requirements, such as meeting the pass mark on the selection grid and having proof of sufficient funds to support you and your family in Canada.
  • Tip: Post-Secondary Teaching and Research Assistants positions fall under NOC Category 4012, Skill Level A (see matrix). Work experience must be considered employment income, as indicated on your T4 tax slip. Any RA hours considered "scholarship income" and indicated on a T4A tax slip may not qualify. You are advised to check with CIC on what documentation to submit. For more information on CIC's definition of "full-time work", refer to the Overseas Processing Manual 6c, section 6.3 (pdf).

See also: Immigration Options for International Graduate Students

Comment Guidelines

14 comments
Joy August 15, 2012 5:23 AM
Can someone who has done 2 years in a PhD program from a Canadian university qualify? or must it be a full time program?
0 Replies » Reply
Gladys We August 17, 2012 12:24 PM
Hi Joy, The CIC website says "...have completed at least two years towards the completion of their PhD and who are in good academic standing " (see http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/manuals/bulletins/2011/ob351.asp). With anything that could possibly be open to interpretation, best to check with CIC. You can call them at 1.888.242.2100.
0 Replies » Reply
Sam February 15, 2013 6:17 AM
I wish to know if PhD holders from Universities outside Canada are eligible to apply under PhD stream
2 Replies » Reply
Md. Akmol Husen August 2, 2013 3:03 AM
I got the Ph.D certificate from American World University , California .USA . Am i eligible to apply under PhD stream ?
1 Reply » Reply
Gladys We August 2, 2013 1:11 PM
The details and links are as above. Are you "currently enrolled in a doctoral (PhD) program at an eligible post-secondary institution in Canada"?
0 Replies » Reply
Carolyn Hanna February 19, 2013 10:19 AM
Sam: No, this particular category is designed for eligible PhD students and graduates at a provincially or territorially recognized private or public post-secondary educational institution in Canada . Please refer to eligibility requirements at http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/skilled/apply-who-instructions.asp. Should you have further questions, please contact Citizenship & Immigration Canada directly at 1.888.242.2100.
0 Replies » Reply
ABU ANSAR February 24, 2013 9:26 AM
I am abu ansar.i am bangladeshi.i have completed masters degree.can i apply for phd strem.please response me.
1 Reply » Reply
Gladys We February 25, 2013 4:42 PM
Hi Abu, please read the blog post above. The Application Eligibility section clearly states what you need to have to apply.
0 Replies » Reply
Mrs. Yuan zhang April 19, 2013 2:38 AM
My son now ,he is studying PhD program ( natural language (IT) in Japan ,and will finish it by the end of this year , he wants to apply for immigratation of Citize Canada .he is a Chinese, can he apply before graduation ? Or how should we do it .please give me some advance .
Thank you !
Best wishes.
1 Reply » Reply
Gladys We April 23, 2013 10:49 AM
Your son should check with his university and the Canadian Consulate in Japan where he is studying. If he wishes to do a postdoctoral fellowship at SFU, we can help with the immigration letters after he has connected with a faculty member/supervisor.
0 Replies » Reply
Ying Chen April 30, 2013 5:11 PM
Hi,

what does "good academic standing" mean? It is quite ambiguous.

Thanks.
3 Replies » Reply
Gladys We May 1, 2013 10:24 AM
It means that you haven't been required to withdraw or haven't dropped out -- that is, you are still in good academic standing and are on track to complete your PhD.
2 Replies » Reply
Ying Chen May 16, 2013 4:24 PM
Hi, do we need to complete all the courses (6 courses for PhD) to get "good academic standing"?

Thanks.
1 Reply » Reply
Carolyn Hanna May 17, 2013 2:06 PM
In addition to completing 2 years of study towards the completion of your PhD, you must also have maintained a CGPA of at least 3.0 (as per
SFU's Graduate General Regulations 1.54. http://students.sfu.ca/calendar/student-info/grad-regulation.html)
0 Replies » Reply