17 October 2022 by Soheil Gorji ITD Blog, Uncategorized 0 comments

NAFTA & students from Mexico

I was in Mexico City last week. And had the unique pleasure to visit some of our incredible partners who help individuals interested in studying in Canada make informed decisions.

It is no secret that many of our students decide to stay in Canada after graduation. Canada is an amazing country and it is no surprise that students choose to make this beautiful land their home after they’ve had a taste. This along with (what I believe are unfair) regulation changes have made public institutions a more attractive choice because of PGWP — Post Graduate Work Permit.

This is not news. I have been grappling with all parties involved regarding PGWP for years now. What surprised me was Mexican nationals worrying about it. I had always thought that Mexicans are luckier than nationals of most other countries if they decide to stay in Canada after graduation because they have a very easy immigration pathway in front of them. Yes, I am referring to NAFTA — North American Free Trade Agreement.

After one special meeting, I couldn’t help running back to the hotel room to formalize what I already knew into an email and send it out. The following is pretty much the exact email I sent this partner.

Please read through it, comment, ask questions, and let’s learn together. After all, I am an educator by trade. This is in my nature.

Dear partner,

It was a pleasure meeting you and your team today. As promised I am giving you some information regarding NAFTA and how it makes it easy for Mexican nationals to become Canadian Permanent Residents.

This link has all the information that you may need. Section 3 discusses the professionals who can take advantage of NAFTA.

Only certain professions, and related educations, can take advantage of NAFTA. All of our diploma programs are included in the list of professions while many other professions need at least a university degree. You can find the list of the jobs from this link in Appendix 1603.1.D.Professionals.

Accounting, IT (computer systems), Graphic Design, Interior Design, and Hotel Management are all accepted by Post Secondary diploma which is exactly what we offer. Perhaps the hardest is the Business administration diploma where they need to have five years of experience to work as a management consultant.

Mexican students can take one of our diploma programs and when they get a job (co-op or permanent) they can go to the border with the job offer and supporting documents listed in the first link listed above.

The benefits of this work permit over PGWP are:

NAFTA accepts work experience in co-op – PGWP does not.
There is no minimum English required at the time of applying for the work permit – PGWP graduates must have an IELTS score of more than 6 to be able to register their names in the express entry.
PGWP takes at least two years to study – for NAFTA they only need to get a diploma and a job offer.
PGWP is Much more expensive ( at least 4 times more for a similar program)
Finding a job with a diploma and lower pay is much easier than a job that requires a degree with a much higher anticipated pay rate

Once a foreign national works in Canada for 1560 hours ( 12 months full time at 30 hours a week), and they have CLB 7 which is much easier than IELTS they can apply for PR through the Canadian Experience class stream.

Please check this link which states how feasible it is to get a PR if one has worked in Camada for a year full-time. There is also a possibility to work part-time; it only takes longer.

Technically, a Mexican student can take our program, start working in the related industry in a year, work for 1560 hours and apply for PR!

Meanwhile, the student can work 40 hours a week. At the current minimum wage, they can make a minimum of $32,522 in one year or $60,722 for non-IT programs over two years and $65044 for IT programs over two years. The return on investment is FANTASTIC with our programs!

I hope you are being to see my point that following a PGWP program may not be the most efficient way for Mexican students.

Let me end by sharing a student story that that is near and dear to my heart. Here is Samantha: