In a move that will provide relief for international students in Canada, the country has decided to extend post-study work permits for its international student cohort by 18 months.
From April 6, individuals who are holding post-graduate work permits would be able to extend their visas, while the ones who saw their permits expire in 2023 will also be able to apply for extension.
"PGWP Extension ! We are extending the ability to work for PGWP holders, including those whose work permits have recently expired. As of April 6, if your PGWP is valid or has recently expired you can apply to extend your ability to work in Canada by up to 18 months," said the tweet by Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship.
"This will allow more Canadian educated workers to continue making a contribution, and give more talented people the ability to apply for permanent residency in Canada," added Fraser.
New rules will make processing of work permits easier for students
According to the new rule, those with expired work permits will be able to restore their status, even if they are beyond the 90-day restoration period, and will receive an interim work authorization while awaiting processing of their new work permit application.
"PGWP holders who are eligible for the facilitative process will soon receive messages about logging into their online IRCC Secure Account, starting April 6, 2023, to opt in and update key personal information," said the release put out by the Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada's website.
International students make up majority of PRs in Canada
International students in Canada make up a huge part of the country's permanent resident population as over 95,000 graduates took up the same in 2022 albeit a slight decrease from 157,000 in 2021.
The moves is significant considering that earlier PGWP holders had to apply for a different work permit if they wished to remain in the country after their visa expired.
At the end of 2022, more than 286,000 international graduates were in Canada with a valid post-graduation work permit. About 127,000 PGWPs expire in 2023, though about 67,000 PGWP holders have already applied for permanent residence and won’t need to extend their work permit through this initiative, according to the date released by IRCC.
Indian students set to benefit with Canada's new changes
Indian students, who make up more than 35% of all study permits in Canada, could be one of the biggest beneficiaries from this move as 2,26,450 students from the country study in the North American nation as of December 2022.
Recent reports of hundreds of students being deported from Canada due to fake admission offer letters has increased likelihood of extra scrutiny from Canadian authorities.
Canadian Border Security Agency, which are looking at these cases closely, told FPJ in an email interaction that addressing issues of false documentation stringently.
Effective September 1, 2023, the eligibility criteria for the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) will be modified for certain programs at certain designated learning institutions (DLIs) Designated learning institutions list - Canada.ca, according to CBSA.
The institutions will have to be approved by a provincial or territorial government before receiving international students.
