Provincial Immigration Streams for International Students

Provincial Immigration Streams for International Students

Each Canadian province offers its own programs or streams that enable international students who graduated from the eligible local educational institution and study program to obtain permanent residence when they meet specific criteria. These criteria vary, defined by each province, and tend to change over time, as provinces frequently update their criteria to meet the local needs.

Below, we provide the list of immigration streams for international students based on the Canadian province.

Provincial Streams for International Students

As described above, each Canadian province offers immigration pathways for international students who have graduated from domestic institutions. Below, we list the provincial programs leading to permanent residence for international students in Canada. We primarily focus on the educational criteria and specify whether a job offer from a Canadian employer is a mandatory requirement, among other conditions.

Alberta

• ‍Graduate Entrepreneur Stream: Applicants must have completed at least two years of full-time education, resulting in a degree or diploma from an Alberta Advanced Education publicly funded post-secondary institution, and must establish a new business or buy an existing business in Alberta that meets certain criteria.

British Columbia:

• International Graduate: Applicants must have a degree, diploma, or certificate from an eligible post-secondary institution in Canada and a job offer from an employer in British Columbia is required.
• International Post-Graduate: Applicants must be graduates of an eligible British Columbia post-secondary institution with an eligible master’s or doctoral degree. PhD candidates at a public B.C. post-secondary institution may also be eligible.

Manitoba 

International Education Stream:

• Career Employment Pathway: Applicants must be graduates from a designated Manitoba post-secondary institution and have a job offer from an employer in Manitoba in an in-demand occupation consistent with their training.
• Graduate Internship Pathway: Applicants must have completed a master’s or doctoral degree program in Manitoba and must have completed a Mitacs Elevate or Accelerate (including Accelerate Entrepreneur) internship with an eligible industry and research enterprise in Manitoba.
• International Student Entrepreneur Pilot: Applicants must have completed a full-time post-secondary program in Manitoba that is at least two years in duration and must pursue entrepreneurship by meeting certain business requirements.

Nova Scotia:

• International Graduate Entrepreneur Stream: Applicants must have completed a degree or diploma after at least two academic years of full-time, in-person study at a university in Nova Scotia or the Nova Scotia Community College, and they must manage and own a current Nova Scotia business.
• International Graduates in Demand Stream: Applicants must have completed a study program in Nova Scotia, been issued a diploma, degree, or certificate suitable for the occupation, received certification from a Nova Scotia regulatory body required for practicing the job, and obtained a job offer in their field of study.
• Atlantic Immigration Program: This federal program includes several streams, one of which is for international graduates who have a job offer from a designated employer in the province. Applicants must hold a degree, diploma, certificate, or trade or apprenticeship certification from a recognized post-secondary institution in Nova Scotia that required at least two years of full-time studies, were full-time students throughout their program, lived in Nova Scotia for at least 16 months in the last two years before graduating, held the necessary visa or permit to work, study, or train in Canada during that time, and have a job offer from a designated employer in Nova Scotia.

New Brunswick

• New Brunswick Express Entry Stream: Student Connection: Applicants must have a valid Express Entry Profile (i.e., meet eligibility requirements of one of the three federal programs) and must have graduated from a designated institution located in New Brunswick in a program eligible for a post-graduation work permit within a certain time established by the province.
• Private Career College Graduate Pilot Program: Applicants must have graduated from an eligible private career college in New Brunswick from select one-year or two-year programs of study that lead to careers in priority occupations in Education and Social Development, Health, IT and Cybersecurity, Business Administration, and Supply Chain and Logistics, and must have a job offer from an employer in New Brunswick.
• Atlantic Immigration Program: This federal program includes several streams, one of which is for international graduates who have a job offer from a designated employer in the province. Applicants must hold a degree, diploma, certificate, or trade or apprenticeship certification from a recognized post-secondary institution in New Brunswick that required at least two years of full-time studies, were full-time students throughout their program, lived in New Brunswick for at least 16 months in the last two years before graduating, held the necessary visa or permit to work, study, or train in Canada during that time, and have a job offer from a designated employer in New Brunswick.

Newfoundland and Labrador

• International Graduate Category: Applicants must be graduates of an educational institution in Canada that is eligible for the post-graduation work permit, and they must have a job offer in an in-demand occupation from an eligible employer in Newfoundland and Labrador.
• International Graduate Entrepreneur: Applicants must have graduated from Memorial University or the College of the North Atlantic, and must have already started or bought a local business and maintained day-to-day operations for at least one continuous year.
• Atlantic Immigration Program: This federal program includes several streams, one of which is for international graduates who have a job offer from a designated employer in the province. Applicants must hold a degree, diploma, certificate, or trade or apprenticeship certification from a recognized post-secondary institution in Newfoundland and Labrador that required at least two years of full-time studies, were full-time students throughout their program, lived in Newfoundland and Labrador for at least 16 months in the last two years before graduating, held the necessary visa or permit to work, study, or train in Canada during that time, and have a job offer from a designated employer in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Ontario

• Employer Job Offer: International Student Stream: Applicants must have an undergraduate degree or diploma that takes at least two years, or a graduate degree or diploma that takes at least one year to complete, if pursued on a full-time basis from an eligible Canadian institution; or a graduate certificate that takes at least one year to complete if pursued on a full-time basis from an eligible Ontario college or university, and a job offer in a skilled occupation from Ontario employer.
• Masters Graduate Stream: Applicants must have completed a master's degree that includes at least one academic year of full-time study (at least 15 hours of instruction per week, including workplace training) from an eligible Ontario university. Part-time studies may qualify if they are equivalent to a full-time academic year.
• PhD Graduate Stream: Applicants must have completed the requirements for a PhD degree from an eligible Ontario university, with at least two years of the studies conducted while legally residing and studying in Ontario.

Prince Edward Island

• International Graduates: Applicants must have graduated from a publicly-funded Prince Edward Island institution and have a job offer from a Prince Edward Island employer.

Saskatchewan

• International Graduate Entrepreneur Category: Applicants must have completed a full-time post-secondary degree or diploma of at least two years from an eligible Saskatchewan institution and wish to become entrepreneurs by owning and operating a business in Saskatchewan.

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