Five ways international students can boost their chance at permanent residence

With some additional forethought, international students seeking to immigrate to Canada can take early action to greatly increase their chances of success during their studies.

Understandably, many international students on the study-to-immigrate track may be planning on figuring out the nitty-gritty of applying for permanent residence (PR) at a later date.

But without taking the time to consider eligibility for PR pathways earlier on, students can be left regretting the lost action that they are best placed to take during their studies.

See your eligibility for all Express Entry streams

Enroll in a co-op program

For many international student graduates, their first entry into the Canadian job market poses a big challenge.

Enrolling in a co-op program can help you break into the Canadian job market more quickly and easily after you graduate. In many cases, if you perform well during your co-op placement, the employer may offer you a job as soon as you graduate.

A quicker entry into the job market means you’ll be eligible for the Canadian Experience Class (CEC)* pathway to PR sooner, and you’ll also be a more competitive candidate—as each year of Canadian work experience (up to five) scores you additional points under Canada’s Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS).

*The CEC is one of three Express Entry programs, and is the most popular immigration pathway for international graduates, requiring candidates to have (among other factors) at least one year of Canadian work experience to be eligible.

The higher your CRS score, the more likely you are to receive an invitation to apply (ITA) for PR through Express Entry.

Work experience gained as a full-time student does not count toward the CEC or as Canadian work experience under the CRS, so the advantage you get from a co-op program comes from how that accelerates your career in Canada.

Gain foreign work experience

Foreign work experience can account for up to 50 points under the CRS, which, for many candidates, can make or break their chance of receiving an ITA.

Unlike Canadian work experience, you can gain foreign work experience while enrolled as a full-time student.

So, if you moved to Canada without having gotten skilled work experience abroad, then taking time to build foreign work experience during your studies can help you gain these additional CRS points.

You can gain foreign work experience either by physically working abroad—for example, by moving back to your home country during summer break, if you’re enrolled in a two-semester undergraduate program—or by working remotely in Canada for a foreign employer.

Target in-demand occupations

If you gain work experience in certain in-demand occupations, you can increase your chance of getting PR, even with a lower CRS score.

Through the Express Entry system, ITAs are issued to candidates through special occupational categories. To be eligible for this category-based selection, candidates need (in most cases) six months' worth of work experience in select professions in the fields of healthcare and social services, STEM, trades, agriculture and agrifood, and education.

Review the lists of category-based draw-eligible occupations and consider pursuing one that interests you.

You may even choose to pursue an occupation different from your field of study—in which case, you might focus on building qualifications for that occupation during your studies.

For example, you might work as a roofer during summer breaks, enabling you to get a job as a roofer (which is one of the occupations in Express Entry’s trade category) after graduating.

After graduating, you can count that work experience toward your eligibility for category-based draws.

See your eligibility for all Express Entry categories

Network with alumni

The opportunity to connect with alumni provides similar advantages to the co-op program in terms of jumpstarting your career.

But unlike co-op, networking with alumni is available in every program at every school.

In addition to being able to give you advice based on their own experience, alumni may also connect you with other valuable contacts, such as professionals in your industry or even potential employers.

Expanding your network in Canada will provide a solid foundation for both your personal life and for your career.

Study French

This path is certainly not for everyone—but for those with an interest in the French language, developing an intermediate French proficiency can be the single most powerful boost to your competitiveness as a candidate for economic immigration.

An intermediate level of French proficiency (NCLC 7 across all language abilities) will grant you an additional 50 points under the CRS, in addition to qualifying you for French-language proficiency category-based draws, which have seen the lowest CRS cut-off scores of all draw types in 2025.

If you’re enrolled in a three-year or four-year program, daily practice in French can go a long way over the course of your degree.

Spreading your French study over this period of time can also greatly reduce the stress of needing to learn a new language over a shorter period of time after graduating.

Studying in Canada may also give you access to local French-language speaking groups.

It’s also possible that through your school, you can access French-language classes, or even intensive immersion programs where you live for several weeks entirely in French in a French community.

See your eligibility for all Express Entry streams