Jibbalob

Thank you for the response. The HNC is a two year course. And sorry, I'm getting myself into a bit of a tangle, I assumed obtaining the red seal would help with getting more CRS points under the certificate of qualification category?

Going for the IEC route would require me to obtain an employer specific work permit under the young professionals category if I understand correctly. But to qualify for this, I must have a job offer, so would it be a more reasonable solution to simply apply for jobs and hope to get sponsored? Or am I missing the mark completely?

Apologies for any misunderstanding I may be perpetuating, it all seems very complex.

Thanks again Snowy560 and Engineer_abroad.

Edit: Upon looking further into this, only the 'Working Holiday' IEC option is available to me from the UK. This means an open work permit, but would this still enable me to work permanently in one location for the two years up until we could sort out PR? Is it not the case that major employers would not consider employing somebody in an engineering role on just a two year permit, or is it common practice for this to happen?

christmasoompa

Provincial certification would, yes (it's often referred to as Red Seal). You'd get another 50 points iirc, but the main thing is you'd actually be eligible to apply, whereas you wouldn't without it.

You've misunderstood - an IEC is a 2 year *open* work permit, no job offer required for it at all.

HTH.

christmasoompa

Just spotted your edit, yes it would. You can do any job on it (except for those requiring citizenship i.e. government jobs), for the 2 years, and then apply for PR once there. This year's program probably isn't an option (visas had pretty much all gone last time I checked), but you could apply in 2018 when it reopens for applications.

HTH.

Jibbalob

OK, thank you so much for your help. That was my understanding from what I have read. I guess that's what I shall be looking into then. Once my qualifications have been accredited, I will look into doing the Red Seal applicable to me. It's an excuse to go back out to Canada too

Engineer_abroad

Yes but the question is how much is considered post graduate by Canadian education standards. Canadians stay at high school till 18 not 16, so only education after 18 would generally count. I was basing my determination off the fact that the first 2 years of a bachelors degree at a UK university is considered the same as a HND, so guessed a HNC would be equivalent to the first year.



Yes


I work for an engineering consultancy here in Canada and we often hire people on IEC visas. In fact, it is the preferred way of getting anyone under 30 over to work here due to the simplicity and cost effective nature of the program.

Snowy560

And just to be clear: the Young Professionals (= tied WP) option isn't part of the IEC Canada/UK agreement. Only Working Holiday (= Open WP) is. If you're Irish, Young Profs is an option.

Jibbalob

Ok yes, I see what you are saying regarding the HNC, it's the equivalent of one year of a degree.


Also, that's good to hear regarding the employment of IEC visas. Should I decide to take this route, at least I know there's still going to be opportunities for me.

Thank you for taking the time to respond to me, I appreciate it.

Jibbalob

Yes I did see this, the description of 'working holiday' just didn't sound right to me. Upon reading further and finding out about the open work permit, I see that it is now an option.

Thank you