Canada announces interim policies allowing overseas students to prolong stay

International students in Canada who have a post-graduation work permit expiring between January and December 2022 will be eligible for an additional open work permit for up to 18 months beginning in summer 2022. With this, recent international graduates with temporary status will be able to prolong their stay in Canada. 

As per an official press release, immigration minister Sean Fraser announced a new temporary policy for overseas students, allowing them to gather job experience and improve their chances of securing Canadian permanent residence. 

New advantages for overseas students studying in the country entitles resumption of Express Entry, and draws for candidates in the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), Federal Skilled Worker (FSW), and Federal Skilled Trades (FST) from early July 2022.

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According to Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), Express Entry processing durations currently range from seven to twenty months. Canada will process several significant Express Entry applications within six months of their filing.

Indians have continued to benefit the most from PR and student visas. Under the ‘Express Entry’ pathway, Indians received 50,841 invitations to apply for permanent residence in Canada in 2020. Nearly 100,000 Indians became permanent residents of Canada in 2021 when the country welcomed a record 405,000 new immigrants.

This step is part of a larger initiative to allow PGWP holders to stay in Canada for extended periods of time, gain job experience, and improve their chances of obtaining permanent status. As Express Entry draws for Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates have been put on hold since September, many PGWP holders whose permits are about to expire are being compelled to seek a new work permit, abandon their jobs, or leave the country.

Officials will be releasing details in the upcoming weeks.

Approximately 95,000 PGWPs will expire in 2022, and this new open work permit could assist up to 50,000 PGWP holders. Candidates will no longer have to stay in Canada while processing their applications.

“We’re looking into a simpler, expedited process for this,” says IRCC.

IRCC will provide permit validity extension until the end of 2024 to people applying for an open work permit while waiting for their PR application to be processed. It usually is not extendable or renewable.