International students in Canada with the authority to work off-campus while on their study permit will get to work for twenty hours per week during their ongoing session.
Fraser introduced this temporary measure, and it’s also applicable to foreign nationals who have already applied for a study permit. Additionally, IRCC’s approval of their application will further provide them with more benefits.
Sean Fraser declared this measure in Ottawa, Canada. He even justified this temporary measure by stating that it would primarily aim to abolish the several labor shortages in Canada.
Canada has been facing acute and record-breaking labor shortages in its history. Besides the labor shortage, there is unemployment on a larger scale than the previous records in Canada’s history.
According to Statistics Canada, the Canadian unemployment rate declined to 5.2 percent and 5.4 percent in September and October, respectively.
A new measure for international students
Presently, international students have the option to work off-campus for up to twenty hours a week. The only condition is they apply under an eligible Canadian education program for studies. However, this work limit doesn’t apply in the context of planned winter or summer holiday breaks. The policy makes international students financially self-reliant, not letting them lose their focus on their studies because of working. Currently, the Canadian government is providing flexibility in this rule due to more than one million job vacancies.
Fraser even stated that this measure would eventually allow 500,000 potential international students to work for increased hours. Canada started by welcoming more than 620,000 international students as a leading nation for international students in 2021. However, this figure increased thrice in the last two decades. The previous saw a massive figure of approximately 450,000 new study permits. Various factors, such as upgraded educational institutions, multicultural approach, affordability, and work and PR opportunities, make this country a popular choice among international students.
The latest announcement by Fraser revealed that over 452,000 study permit applications were processed between January and August 2022. The previous year had around 367,000 applications processed, indicating a 23 percent increase compared to this year’s applications. Canada already broke its previous record of processed study permit applications.
Reportedly, International students tend to seek interest in Canadian permanent residency once they complete their studies.
Statistics Canada also reported that international students acquiring permanent residency in Canada could adjust within the Canadian labor market. This is also due to factors such as their work and study experience in Canada and language proficiency in English and French. Therefore, IRCC offers several measures to help international students sustain themselves in Canada through work.
Post-Graduation Work Permit
The Post-Graduation Work Permit lets international students acquire an Open Work Permit. This Open Work Permit is valid until their study program’s duration. These work permits provide the chance for foreign nationals to gain work experience under any Canadian employer of their choice. The validity for a PGWP is a maximum of three years. The Post-Graduation Work Permit holders will have to display their Canadian work experience to gain eligibility under an economic class immigration program.
On the whole, IRCC provides the most renowned pathways under Express Entry. Additionally, the PGWP candidates mostly prefer to apply for permanent residency using the Canadian Experience Class.
Interestingly, international students also gain domestic work experience in Canadian provinces and territories. Apart from this, streams under Quebec and Provincial Nominee Programs offer a diverse range of pathways for PR. As a result, they seek to motivate these international graduates to be in Canada’s territory or province and further contribute to its labor market.
International Graduates
During the Covid-crisis, international students remained the primary source of permanent residents. The previous year witnessed a target of 405,000 new immigrants; therefore, IRCC heavily depended on international graduates to fulfill this target. A massive number of Canadian Experience Class candidates received invitations through IRCC.
Additionally, over 90,000 temporary residents were able to apply for immigration with the TR2PR program introduced in 2021. The TR2PR programs worked for a limited time. Justin Trudeau even issued a mandate to Sean Fraser to figure out practical solutions so that international students and temporary foreign workers can acquire permanent residence via Express Entry.
Consequently, Fraser even brought forth a new strategy for temporary residents to gain permanent residency. The strategy further revolved around the five pillars. One of the chief pillars focused on improving the immigration system with modernized techniques and faster processing times.
The new Immigration Levels Plan for 2023 to 2025 will be out by November 1, 2022.
