# USA .NET Developer Looking for PR in Canada



## bavant (Aug 24, 2015)

Hello,

So, I have a scenario for which I will need a little guidance and advice. Nearly four years ago, I graduated from an accredited program with a Bachelors of Science in Computer Science. As of right now, I have 5 years 3 months of experience working professionally as a .NET developer (mostly with ASP.NET MVC, JavaScript, etc).

I recently decided to return to school to pursue a second Bachelors of Science; this one being a B.S. Electrical Engineering. As it currently stands, it will take about 3 years (expected 2018) for me to finish this second degree. The main reason for this amount of time is that I am currently still working full time as a .NET developer. 

In addition to my deciding to return to school, my wife and I have recently decided to pursue PR in Canada. FYI, we do not have kids; it's just the two of us. Although we prefer to live in Ontario near Toronto or perhaps in BC near Vancouver, we will take what we can get. We are both 27.

As far as my language skills. I am a native English speaker with basic French speaking abilities. I intend on expanding my knowledge of French prior to pursuing PR in Canada. I feel like if this will help significantly, I am passionate enough about this to bring my French from basic to at least Intermediate (speaking, reading, listening, and writing).

Given the information above, could someone please answer the following questions to the best of their abilities:

1. Will having both the B.S. Computer Science (with professional experience) and the B.S. Electrical Engineering (without professional experience) help me to gain PR?

2. If the answer to #1 is yes, will it make a huge difference if I pursue the second degree and then apply or stop pursuing the degree and apply sooner? Basically, will the EE add a significant advantage with no professional experience?

3. Is it worth it for me to spend the next 2-3 years using Rosetta Stone or Duo Lingo to get my French to an intermediate level so that I can take both the IELTS and TEF or should I just focus on the IELTS?

4. My wife has a four year degree but it's in Interdisciplinary Studies; not only this, but as of right now, she does not have professional experience. Will this hurt us significantly or does it not matter if one of us has the needed skills?

5. Will I be required to take an assessment, given that I do not have a Canadian education but instead a 4-year degree from a USA uni?

6. *Probably the most important of my questions. I don't currently have a job offer and I'm not completely sure where to start to begin networking necessary to line up a job offer. Could someone provide suggestions on how to pursue a job given that I'm currently a USA citizen who currently does not have a PR in Canada? How does one convince a Canadian employer to sponsor/hire someone in my situation? * 

Thanks in advance,

Brandon


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## WestCoastCanadianGirl (Mar 17, 2012)

Check your eligibility to come to Canada here. 
They've got most scenarios covered, vis à vis Single Applicant/Applicant and Spouse; education levels; English or French language ability etc.

You'll have to get your BSc/BA assessed by WES (annoying, I know) as well as sit an English Test (equally annoying, but that's the Canadian Government for you...  ).

Also, in regards to French... unless you're planning to live in parts of Manitoba or New Brunswick (yes, Manitoba and New Brunswick... there are pockets of French in those two provinces) or most (if not all) of Quebec, then you should think about whether it's worth the time and effort to learn French _now_, just to add a few points to your CRS score or hold off on the French lessons until after you arrive. If you were to decide to live in Montreal, you _could_ get by with English only, although there are some Montrealers who are difficult and may be resistant to help you (on the principle of the fact that Quebec is a French speaking province, so _everyone_ should be speaking French) even though they speak English fairly well.... however, if you at least make an effort to try to speak even a little bit of French (basics like hello, goodbye, how are you, how much is this etc), that would go down better than no French at all.


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## colchar (Oct 25, 2011)

bavant said:


> As far as my language skills. I am a native English speaker with basic French speaking abilities. I intend on expanding my knowledge of French prior to pursuing PR in Canada. I feel like if this will help significantly, I am passionate enough about this to bring my French from basic to at least Intermediate (speaking, reading, listening, and writing).



Unless it helps you to earn more points why bother with French? I have lived here the majority of my life and speak less than ten words of French. 

If you are headed for Toronto or Vancouver then you won't need French.




> 3. Is it worth it for me to spend the next 2-3 years using Rosetta Stone or Duo Lingo to get my French to an intermediate level so that I can take both the IELTS and TEF or should I just focus on the IELTS?


Since you are a native English speaker the IELTS will be a cakewalk and will be nothing more than an inconvenience (and cost).




> 5. Will I be required to take an assessment, given that I do not have a Canadian education but instead a 4-year degree from a USA uni?



I am not sure about immigration, but for work purposes your American degree (assuming that it is from a properly accredited institution) will be considered the same as a Canadian degree. 

For immigration purposes you might need to get it assessed (others can confirm this) but, so long as it is from a properly accredited school, this will be nothing more than an inconvenience (and cost).


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## bavant (Aug 24, 2015)

WestCoastCanadianGirl said:


> Check your eligibility to come to Canada
> They've got most scenarios covered, vis à vis Single Applicant/Applicant and Spouse; education levels; English or French language ability etc.
> 
> You'll have to get your BSc/BA assessed by WES (annoying, I know) as well as sit an (equally annoying, but that's the Canadian Government for you...  ).
> ...


Thank you for the reply. The reasons why I was considering improving my French were for the purpose of obtaining more points (by taking the TEF) and because I've needed a good excuse for years to continue my French studies (I studied it quite a bit in grade school).

As far as the WES assessment is concerned, does the assessment ask a bunch of computer science question to ensure that I know my stuff or is it a means of putting my transcript under a microscope to ensure that the required knowledge is there in the coursework that I took?


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## bavant (Aug 24, 2015)

colchar said:


> Unless it helps you to earn more points why bother with French? I have lived here the majority of my life and speak less than ten words of French.
> 
> If you are headed for Toronto or Vancouver then you won't need French.
> 
> ...


Thank you for the reply. As I mentioned to WestCoastCanadianGirl, my main motivation for improving my French is that I'd like to earn as many points as possible to increase my chances of being picked for PR.


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## colchar (Oct 25, 2011)

bavant said:


> As far as the WES assessment is concerned, does the assessment ask a bunch of computer science question to ensure that I know my stuff or is it a means of putting my transcript under a microscope to ensure that the required knowledge is there in the coursework that I took?



Transcripts only.

What school did you attend? Providing it is properly accredited in the US the assessment will be nothing more than a formality.


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## OldPro (Feb 18, 2015)

I would suggest you take it one step at a time. Otherwise, spending effort asking about things like French and will your degree be recognized etc. are only going to result in losing sight of the forest while you look at the trees.

Click on the link WestCoastCanadianGirl gave you and see if you are eligible to apply. That's step one. Then follow the process step by step, dealing with questions that arise AT each step, not before.


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## bavant (Aug 24, 2015)

OldPro said:


> I would suggest you take it one step at a time. Otherwise, spending effort asking about things like French and will your degree be recognized etc. are only going to result in losing sight of the forest while you look at the trees.
> 
> Click on the link WestCoastCanadianGirl gave you and see if you are eligible to apply. That's step one. Then follow the process step by step, dealing with questions that arise AT each step, not before.


Sorry about the delayed reply. I guess my only other question (prior to me starting the process) is whether you all think it's best to start looking for a job prior to applying for immigration. It seems like having a job offer and being accepted to immigrate might pose a bit of a catch-22. If your answer is "get a job offer first", how should I go about starting this process? Where is best to apply for a job offer as a non-resident?

Thanks in advance.


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