Studying information technology in Canada

1. Development potential of the Information Technology industry in Canada

IT – Information Technology is the industry specializing in sorting, storing, retrieving, transmitting, and protecting information as well as taking responsibility for the maintenance and development of software and computer systems. IT plays a vital role in running business.

In Canada, 5 popular courses chosen by international students of IT include: computer science, information systems, software engineering, computer engineering and network communication.

To be able to perform well during studying and working for IT industry, it is essential for the learners to have following qualities:

• Passion for technology
• Intelligence, creativity, and logical thinking
• Willing to learn and update new knowledge
• High precision at work
• Good language skills

Canada education is famous for IT training with many top-tier institutions such as University of Toronto, University of British Columbia, University of Waterloo, McGill University, etc. These days, there are approximately 30,000 companies specializing in technology with more than 800,000 professionals working in this industry.

The rapid development of the IT industry has affected many aspects of life. Some of common positions for specialists in IT include: 

• Software engineer
• Cloud computing engineer
• Programmer
• System manager
• Computer network specialist
• Information and network security specialist

In particular, graduates of IT majors are offered positions with well-paid salaries, starting from C$45,000/year averagely compared to other professions in Canada. The IT experts’ salary is 52% higher than the national salary standardization.

However, the Canadian labor market is in a state of labour shortage in the information technology industry. That is why the government expressed a lot of concerns about it and has introduced priority immigration programs for foreign workers in the IT industry to attract more skilled workers and fill in the human resource gaps. Therefore, studying IT in Canada can be seen as a wise choice for your career and future.

2. Study IT in Canada – Immigrate to Canada

With the characteristics of the IT major in Canada, international students have many opportunities to study and pursue a passion for computer technology. More notably, the positions in this industry belong to the list of possible occupations to immigrate to Canada.

Some provinces have launched priority immigration programs for IT specialists either with or without job offers.

2.1. Getting PR card without a job offer

Province of Saskatchewan

International students can apply under the International Skilled Worker Program – Occupation In Demand, if they meet the requirements as below:

• Score a minimum of 60 out of 100 on the SINP point assessment grid 
• Have language score of at least 4 (CLB4)
• Have earned a diploma, certificate or degree in Canada or equivalent outside Canada
• Have at least 1 year of full-time work experience related to IT over the past 10 years

International students can also apply for PR under the program Skilled International Workers – Express Entry with the same requirements as the program above. The most remarkable difference is that the applicants must have a valid Express Entry Profile Number. To be able to open an account and create an Express Entry Profile, the applicants need to meet some certain requirements of working experience or language skills.

Province of Ontario

International students can settle under the Express entry program – Prioritize human capital. They need to:

• Have a valid Express Entry Profile Number
• Hold a bachelor’s degree or higher in Canada or its equivalent if studying outside of Canada (ECA)
• Have language score of at least 7 (CLB7)

New Brunswick Province

International students without a job offer can apply for PR under Express Entry program with several criteria as below:

• Have a valid Express Entry Profile Number under the Federal Skilled Worker program
• Graduated from high school in Canada or equivalent if studying outside of Canada (ECA)
• Have language score of at least 7 (CLB7)
• Currently living and working in occupation in NOC 0, A, B in New Brunswick

2.2. Getting PR card for candidates with job offers

A student with a job offer from an employer in New Brunswick can apply for PR under the Skilled Worker program if they:

• Score a minimum of 60 on the NB point assessment grid 
• Have language score of at least 4 (CLB4)
• Have completed high school in Canada or equivalent outside Canada
• Have at least 1 year of full-time work experience related to the position in job offer over the past 5 years

In particular, international students graduating from New Brunswick institutions DO NOT NEED WORK EXPERIENCE if applying under this category.

By studying IT in Canada, students have opportunities to settle in British Columbia province under the Tech Pilot program. This is a pilot program lasting till June 2021 to provide an international workforce for technology employers of the province.

If you have any questions about choosing a school and immigration path to Canada with the information technology industry, please contact VIVAS – EDUCATION & IMMIGRATION via hotline (+1) 416 787 9192 – (+84) 28 6652 2689.

Source:
https://www.welcomenb.ca/content/wel-bien/en/immigrating/content/HowToImmigrate/NBProvincialNomineeProgram.html
https://www.ontario.ca/page/ontario-immigrant-nominee-program-oinp
https://www.saskatchewan.ca/residents/moving-to-saskatchewan/immigrating-to-saskatchewan/saskatchewan-immigrant-nominee-program