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Canadian immigration officials have announced three new elements of flexibility for international students beginning their studies online from outside of Canada
The new guidance allows students to interact in online study through April 2021, and, with some conditions, to count those online courses toward eligibility for a post-graduation working papers in Canada
Updated 26 August guidance from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) includes three important announcements for international students.
Through 30 April 2021, IRCC is now allowing students to start their studies online while still abroad and to count those remote studies towards post-graduation official document (PGWP) eligibility – provided that a minimum of 50% of their programme is eventually completed in Canada.
Students enrolled in programmes of between 8 to 12 months long, and with start dates between May and September 2020, are going to be allowed to complete their entire programmes via online study while abroad and still remain eligible for a PGWP in Canada.
Finally, those students enrolled in programmes beginning between May and September 2020 – and who study online within the period up to 30 April 2021 and graduate from quite one eligible programme – may combine the length of their programmes of study after they apply for a post-graduation instrument (so long as a minimum of 50% of their total studies are completed in Canada).
In order to be eligible for any of those options, students must have submitted a study permit application before beginning studies in spring, summer, or fall 2020, or the January 2021 semester.
This latest guidance from IRCC updates earlier directives with relation to flexibility in post-graduation legal instrument terms. It also reflects the continuing uncertainty round the mode of programme delivery at many institutions this fall further because the ongoing challenge of securing international flights and study permits thanks to either travel restrictions or disruptions in normal processing services.
“Many prospective international students who would really like to review in Canada this fall face uncertainty thanks to travel restrictions,” says a related statement from Canadian immigration officials. “[IRCC] recognises this, and can still make sure that Canada’s immigration programmes are flexible to retort to those uncertainties.”
The significance of this development traces back to the importance of the post-graduate work programme itself. The very-popular PGWP allows international students who have completed a programme of a minimum of eight months’ duration to remain on to realize valuable work experience in Canada, experience which will count towards a future application for permanent residency within the country. reckoning on the length of their study programme, students is also eligible for post-graduate work terms of up to 3 years.
This experience can successively be a stepping stone to permanent residency in Canada. Canada’s Express Entry programme, as an example, relies on a points-based system for evaluating applicants. Additional points are awarded for those that have completed post-secondary studies in Canada, and people with Canadian work experience can accumulate further points also.
More broadly, the supply of strong post-study work opportunities could be a powerful draw for international students and a significant consider destination attractiveness.
With all of that in mind, these latest announcements from IRCC are warmly welcomed by Canadian educators likewise as agents and partners abroad. they’re overshadowed only by another recent immigration directive indicating that students with valid study permits (dated 18 March or earlier) may travel Canada given that they’ll demonstrate their travel is “non-optional and non-discretionary”. What this implies in practice is that students whose programmes have transitioned to online delivery thanks to COVID might be denied entry to Canada.
The “could” a part of that statement is vital because the IRCC guidance leaves some discretion with Canadian border officers to see whether an individual’s student is optional or not. In so doing, Immigration officials have created some additional confusion and uncertainty for college students about to trip Canada this summer or fall.