Eight month program or Two year program? What to choose?

Many students have doubt whether to go for 8 months program, 1 year program or a 2 year program. The selection of your program impacts a lot on the duration of work permit you will get. 8 Months program are usually certificate or graduate certificate. On the other hand, diploma and advanced diploma programs are usually of 2 years. There are also few good programs for post graduate diploma credential.

What kind of course you should go for depends on what your goals are. If your sole goal is to get permanent residency (PR) then going for a two year program is the most safest option. Not that one year programs are bad but a two year one keeps you in a safer side. Let us consider two cases. One of student A who goes for a one year program and second is of student B who selects a two year program.

Student A’s Journey (With a one year program)

Most of the one year programs are of 8 months. Some programs offer full 12 months but they have internships in the last four months. When student A completes his program and applies for a post graduation work permit, he will get work permit of one year not more than that. The rules of work permit states that student can’t get work permit of more than your study duration. For e.g. if you have studied for 9 months, you can get maximum of 9 months’ work permit. But often, students are issued one year work permit with 8 months study program. Usually CIC gives three months extra to stay or to manage other documentation work with every permit. That means one year work permit is actually of 9-months and rest is the extra period given to you for your legal and documentation work.

Now, in order to get eligible for PR under express entry, A should get one year of Canadian experience (for CE class). A must get a job within like one month after finishing his studies, to be eligible to apply for PR. If he couldn’t, he will have to go back to his home country unless he got an employer who is ready to sponsor for his visa. Then, he can extend his work permit. If A gets job easily, he will work for one year, apply for PR and mostly will have enough points to get it. But he should get a good job and a position which is listed in the skill level of NOC A,B or 0. Here are his options:

• Get a good job and work there for one year and apply for PR.
• Go back home. 
• You have very less time to search for job and get Canadian experience (just one year including job. So, you will have to land a job within a month after study)

Student B’s journey (With a 2 year program)

A two year program makes you eligible for three years of work permit. Most of people who go for a two year program gets three years of work permit. There have been cases where students didn’t get three years work permit even after studying for two years but they were able to extend it later either by reapplying or writing a letter to the visa officer.

Going for a two year program will give B lot of time to find job and then get one year experience and then he can apply for PR. The only disadvantage is you will have to pay $14500-$16000 once again for your 2nd year studies. If you have interest in what you are studying, then great. Otherwise, it is not worthy to spend this much amount to learn something you have no interest in. This advice is for people whose major goal is not PR but a good career. Bottomline is, two years of study makes you:

• Eligible for three years of work permit.
• Pay one year tuition fees again.
• Keeps you in safer side
• You have lot of time to search for job and get Canadian experience required for permanent residency (3 years)

If you are confused what to go for, first think about what your goal is? What do you want? Is your main goal getting permanent residency? Do you think you are good enough with skills to land a job fast and will get one year canadian experience? Do you have finance to invest in 2nd year tuition fees? Write down it very clearly. Think about all these factors and then decide. Good luck with your study. :-)