Take an Online Course This Fall and Be Eligible for the PGWP
According to the recent changes made by the Government of Canada, international students will be able to obtain a Post-Graduation Work Permit even after graduating online courses.
If you take online courses this fall, then this major exception applies to you which is a huge opportunity to immigrate to Canada with PGWP.
IRCC announced the changes on May 14, 2020
Previously, Canada would not count online courses toward the study required to get a PGWP. However, due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, IRCC is now even allowed international students to take online courses at DLI’s to apply for the Post Graduation Work Permit following their studies.
If you want to study online and then have an opportunity to obtain a work permit, then you can begin your program at a Canadian Designated Learning School online in fall 2020.
Contact us to find out your options for studying in Canada this fall
Students won’t be necessarily required to complete the whole program
If you successfully complete up to 50 percent of the program while being abroad, then you will still be qualified to get PGWP to work in Canada after completion of your studies.
The validity of the PGWP can be up to 3 years, based on the duration of your program at a Canadian DLI as an international student.
During the recent announcement, IRCC also stated that that international students will not have time deducted from the length of their PGWP for the period they spent outside of Canada, up to December 31, 2020.
In a hypothetical scenario, a new international student can begin their program at a Canadian DLI online this coming fall and still be eligible for a PGWP for the maximum three years so long as they arrived in Canada by the end of 2020 and completed a qualifying educational program at a DLI of at least two years in duration.
This exciting announcement will encourage more international students to choose Canada as their destination to study, rather than postponing their post-secondary education.
How this will benefit international students?
The main reason is that international students will love having an opportunity to study in their countries of origin and being able to apply for Canadian immigration after completing the program of study.
On the other hand, this will significantly reduce any costs and living expenses that students would otherwise have to face when they have been required to physically study in Canada.
The reform will also benefit the Canadian economy, since the tuition that international students will pay is going to support jobs as colleges and universities across Canada.
Furthermore, international students will contribute economic activity in a number of ways once they arrive in Canada, through the spending, labor, and as well as the tax they pay as workers.
Before the coronavirus crisis, more than half a million international students in Canada were supporting $22 billion per year to the economy and contributing more than 150,000 Canadian jobs.
Besides, since many of these students are expected to get permanent residency, this will further help Canada’s economy during the long run since they will possess the key human capital characteristics that help strong labor market outcomes of Canada’s immigrants.