Hi Folks,
First off, I wanted to say that I think this is a great community for those within the global community who are looking to relocate to Canada. The show of support and understanding for members of a diversity of backgrounds and cultures is absolutely consistent with Canadian values. I wish you all luck in your applications.
Now - the reason that I'm posting is that my fiancee is currently in the EE stream and has been for the past year and a half with no progress. I'm curious how we think the cutoff figures will be influenced by the recent changes to EE. My fiancee is Ukrainian and moved to Canada after high-school to do her post-secondary studies here. Unfortunately she had some bad guidance and ended up at a college and not a university, but she nonetheless completed her education here. With an IELTS score of 8 overall, she gets most of the points from that category, and having worked for the 2.5 years (thus far) of her post-graduate work permit, she ends up with a score of 441 under the old system, and 459 under the new system. Any sense of whether or not this will materially change her chances?
Are there any suggestions for other ways to improve this? She can eke out 3 more points if she gets a perfect IELTS, but everything else seems dependent on experience, education, or a spouse. As none of those are factors she can influence at the moment (aside from time perhaps), are there other options? Given that the PGWP cannot be extended, the other question is whether or not there is a simple work visa for someone who has lived in Canada for the better part of the past 5 years and has clearly established her young life here?
For context, I've tried to get her a role in the professional services firm that I work at, but it is challenging given that there is a strong bias against college graduates (more's the pity).
Appreciate any comments.