# Goal : Permanent Residence. Which route to take, PhD or FSW ?



## speedman (Dec 3, 2012)

Okay, here is my situation. 

I just finished my Master's in Chemical Engineering from a state school in the top20 of USNews. When I came to US, my only goal was to get a PhD and go back to India. Now my plans have changed and I am planning to stay in North America or any other first world country. 

The reason I want to go to Canada is because I want to become a PR in a first world country as soon as possible. As far as it seems, there are two paths that I can take, apply for PhD or apply as an FSW. In India I had worked for four years in a petroleum refinery of Bharat Petroleum as an engineer. If my area of work appears in the updated list for FSW to be released in Jan 2013, then I would definitely consider it. I am pretty sure that I will be able to get into a PhD program in a good Canadian university with my academic background. However I may not be able to join the PhD programs till January 2014, as the deadlines for Sept 2013 for my target universities are already gone. 

I know that there is a freeze in FSW as of now and will be open in Jan 2013 with the new list. 

If I apply with all the documents in the early part of 2013, then how long does it normally take to know about the decision, if one applies from USA ?

If I apply for FSW and then go to Canada on a student visa will there be any problem with the processing of FSW?

In case I get selected as an FSW, can I apply for a PhD then and show the time spent in Canada during PhD while applying for citizenship ? 

In case I go to Canada as a PhD student, then can I apply for FSW based on my past work exp, without having to apply as a PhD candidate (as I have to wait till I finish 2 years of PhD) ? Also is the time taken for an application based on PhD processed any faster ?

Getting a PhD is definitely one of my goals and I will do it in future, if I can't do it now.

Thank you for reading through my long post. I would really appreciate if you could give me some feedback based on your experience. 

Have a great day.


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