Which countries offer the best PR pathway for a bachelor's graduate applying to Canada or Australia?

The two systems reward different things, so the comparison is not really Canada versus Australia in the abstract, it is whether your degree maps to an occupation Australia is actively short of versus whether you can build Canadian work experience through the PGWP route first. A bachelor's graduate with a generalist degree usually has an easier time in Canada's system, since Express Entry rewards education, age and language rather than a specific in demand occupation list.

Canada vs Australia: What Actually Decides This for a Bachelor's Graduate

Where a Provincial Nomination Changes the Calculation

Canada's Express Entry system ranks candidates by Comprehensive Ranking System score, and a provincial nomination through a Provincial Nominee Program adds 600 points, which is enough to move almost any eligible profile to the top of the pool. Australia's skilled visa system instead requires clearing a minimum points threshold tied to your specific assessed occupation, so the practical question for a bachelor's graduate is whether a state or territory is actively nominating your occupation in Canada, versus whether your occupation appears on Australia's current skilled occupation list at all.

This Information Is Also Available On

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada's own Provincial Nominee Program page and Express Entry page, and the Australian Department of Home Affairs' own skilled visa page.

My Advice

I would not lock into one country before checking whether your specific degree and intended occupation are actually eligible in each system, since the comparison above assumes an average generalist profile. If you already know your occupation is in strong demand in Australia and you can realistically hit the points threshold, Australia can outperform Canada for you specifically. If your degree is broad and does not map neatly to a shortage occupation anywhere, Canada's PGWP to Express Entry route gives you more room to build the missing pieces after you arrive.