Research assistant while studying

[bhuv2004]

Hi Essat,

what if the RA position in Phd is paid in the form of scholarship. Will I still be eligible under CEC.

Please advise...

Thanks
Bhuv

You need to have graduated from a 2 year post-sec program from a Canadian institution or 1 year Masters program + 1 year pre-requisite year, and obtained 1 year (1095 hrs) experience after graduation. Note that If you complete a 2 year masters program from a Canadian institution, graduate, start a PhD and work as an RA (while pursuing the PhD) for 1 year, you qualify for CEC (NOC 4122). Ofcourse you need to meet the language requirements.

 

[Essat]

Hi,

It depends on what type of scholarship it is. RA obtained under a scholarship that requires you to work in your home country after graduation will not be eligible. I don't know what type of scholarship you are referring to so I can only speculate. RA positions that I am more familiar with involve Professors paying the student from an Industry financed project. The student gets an appointment from the University and is paid bi-weekly or monthly for his work as a Research Assistant. In BC, such payments are regarded as fellowships for tax purposes i.e. for purposes of saving the student some tax money (the 2006 Federal budget made all postsecondary scholarships and fellowships tax-free), and that's why a T4A, not T4 is issued, but in my opinion, such work experience qualifies as paid experience. Note that CIC has not explicitly defined paid work experience, and I personally know a few people whose RA work experience (with T4A) was accepted under CEC (Of course this doesn't mean that all RA experience is eligible).

I should also note that the Client Services Coordinator at Buffalo who regularly makes presentations about Canada Immigration to different universities in Canada clearly indicates that "Work experience such as TA’s or RA’s can be counted toward the one year fulltime equivalent as long as the work was done after receiving the first postsecondary degree in Canada"

Essat.

 

[Hope to be there]

Hi Essat,
Sorry for digging up such an old topic. I'm about to apply for CEC. I have asked the university registrar to issue the Letter of Employment for me, she commented that my Research Assistantship was not a job and the payment to me was not salary, it was stipend.

I have Agreement with the university said :

Fund name : Research assistant stipend-CIHR Institutes
Fund Type : Research assistant
Fund source : Federal-CIHR Source type : external
Start date : 1 Sep, 2009
Payment of stipend : pay monthly after tax deduction with the T4A form

In your opinion or experience with " I personally know a few people whose RA work experience (with T4A) was accepted under CEC ", Do you think I am eligible to apply for CEC ?

Otherwise, any other way I should go to get PR ?

Thanks

 

[Mezbah Uddin]

Hi, I have applied under CEC. Total points were 482. Along with my Canadian experience, I had international 2yr (Research assistance) experience during my Masters. However, I did not claim my masters as I already have points from my PhD. Just wondering, if by chance they do not wish to accept my international experience as because it was during my Masters. Points will be reduced to 462 (cut off was 451). Is there any chance of getting refused? if so, usually how long they take to let me know if it gets refused? (Note: I already passed medical)

 

[jes_ON]

Hi, I have applied under CEC. Total points were 482. Along with my Canadian experience, I had international 2yr (Research assistance) experience during my Masters. However, I did not claim my masters as I already have points from my PhD. Just wondering, if by chance they do not wish to accept my international experience as because it was during my Masters. Points will be reduced to 462 (cut off was 451). Is there any chance of getting refused? if so, usually how long they take to let me know if it gets refused? (Note: I already passed medical)

You should be fine all the way around. Even if for some reason they disallowed that experience, your CRS score is still above the cutoff for your draw, so your application would still be considered.