Canadian Immigration Releases New Temporary Policy Changes For The Post Graduation Work Permit Program
It was recently announced that there will be temporary policy changes that will be imposed on all Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) due to the unusual impact of COVID-19 to all the international students as well as the post-secondary sector. A new eligibility requirement is released for the following groups of students:
- Students who are enrolled in a PGWP-eligible program in progress in March 2020
- Students who will begin or already began in a PGWP-eligible program between spring of 2020 ad summer of 2022
The above-mentioned students are to be eligible for the temporary policy changes to the PGWP. However, the said students must first meet either one of the following requirements:
- Must have a study permit
- Must have been approved for a study permit
- Must have submitted a study permit application before they begin their program and must have eventually been approved
You must also take note that the time spent studying outside of Canada will begin to count towards the PGWP length after the immigration department receives the study permit application. Studies that were undertaken before the immigration department received the application for a study permit can be deducted from the length of the PGWP. With that being the case, if a student only completes 7 months of studies after their application for a study permit is received, they will not be eligible for a PGWP. That is why the immigration department encourages students to apply for their study permits before they start their studies.
For the deadline of application, all students who are either graduating in Canada or who submitted their application at the port of entry are still required to apply for the GWP within the span of 180 days of holding a valid student permit, and within 180 days of receiving written notification of program completion from the Designated Learning Institution (DLI). Meanwhile, those students who graduated from outside of Canada and met the eligibility requirements of the new temporary PGWP policy changes do not need to hold or have held a valid study permit within 180 days of applying for the PGWP. For them to be eligible to submit an application, they must either have a study permit or have already received a stud permit approval; note that an application is still needed within 180 days of receiving the written notification of program completion from the DLI.
In a normal setting, distance learning courses that are completed outside of Canada are excluded from the time accumulated the length of the post-graduation work permit while the other half of the course must be completed in Canada and must be in-person. With the temporary policy change, it had been made to better accommodate all international students who are eligible and have already completed their distance learning may it be in or outside of Canada. Students who were either enrolled in any PGWP-eligible program in March 2020 or who have already started a program of study from spring 2020 until and including the semester in summer of 2022 are no longer required to complete 50% of their program of study in Canada and they may complete their program 100% via online from outside of Canada. Take note that until August 31, 20200, time spent studying outside of Canada can now be counted towards the overall length o the PGWP; any time spent outside Canada beyond the said date should be deducted from the length of the PGWP.
Due to the pandemic, there has been course cancellation as a result of the public health measures at DLI’s. As a result, some students may it be inside or outside of Canada may have been required to put their studies either on hold or become part-time students. The eligibility for a PGWP will not be impacted if a student’s status changed from being full-time to part-time due to the said changes in course delivery at a DLI. However, this is only for the semesters is winter, spring, and summer of 2020.
Many international students are unable to get a letter of completion or final transcript from their DLI due to school closures because of the public health measures imposed on the DLI’s. As part of the temporary measure, students who apply for a PGWP will be permitted to submit an application without their letter of completion or final transcript. Upon processing the application, the said documents will be requested by the processing officer as part of the procedures for a request for additional documents on open applications. This temporary measure also applies to all applicants who need to restore their status.
