As per the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) updates, Canada is extending the time to review the files of those students who haven’t been able to submit all the required documents for their study permit or Post Graduate Work Permit (PGWP) application.
Given the Covid-19 outbreak, many application centers have either shut down or limited their operations. Consequently, many study permit applicants have not been able to complete the essential components of their application that entails, giving biometrics, getting a medical examination done, and submitting their original travel documents.
Considering the present situation worldwide, IRCC has said that they will not refuse study permit applications that do not have the required documents, as it is the coronavirus that has led to the inevitable disruption.
Hence, the application will remain open, and they will continue requesting additional supporting documents, or take any other necessary action until the documents can be received or they are provided proof that an action has been taken.
This measure also allows the Post-Graduation Work Permit approval to the applicants who are unable to get a letter of completion or a final transcript from their Designated Learning Institute (DLI). What this means is that if an international student applies for the PGWP before her study permit expires, but is unable to submit the complete application due to the closure of DLI, she will be able to start working full-time until a decision is made. However, as a requirement, such students will need to submit a letter of explanation, clearly stating that they are unable to submit the documents because of the institute’s closure. And once the documents are available, they will have to submit them using the IRCC web form, which facilitates communication between Canada’s immigration department and immigration candidates. The students will also get to restore their status without the letter of completion or final transcript.
It is inevitable for Canadian post-secondary institutions to close or cancel classes in light of social distancing norms. This means that international students may have to put their studies on hold or study part-time.
Therefore, the PGWP eligibility will not be affected by students’ part-time status. Thus, if a student’s status changes from full-time to part-time due to any decision made by their DLI for the winter and summer 2020 semesters, they will still be eligible to apply for a PGWP.
This comes as a huge relief for students because PGWP helps students gain the much-needed and coveted Canadian work experience. This experience goes a long way in making students eligible for more immigration streams under the Express Entry and the Provincial Nominee Programme (PNP).
Also, Canada has recently announced a major reform in the rules which will offer more PGWP flexibility for international students who are looking forward to beginning their Canadian immigration journey in Fall of 2020.
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