Foreign students with online course base fit for PGWP for now

It’s a dream for many international students to study in Canada. Such students starting their Canadian study program in the coming weeks will have an advantage. They won’t be penalized for online coursework in case they eventually apply for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP).

The PGWP lets international students work in Canada for not more than 3 years. It's a great way to get work experience in the country. Such experience is assigned a high value in economic class immigration programs. These programs can lead to permanent residence.

Having Canadian experience before settling as permanent residents helps people a lot. They get to blend quickly into the labor market. Many of Canada’s economic class immigration programs get candidates rewarded with Canadian experience. They get extra points for that.

Normally, international students must have done a full-time study program in Canada. It should be for not less than 8 months to be eligible for PGWP. Studying online could make an applicant ineligible for the Canada work permit.

But thanks to this temporary reform, Canada has avoided disrupting the plans of immigration clients during this COVID-19 crisis period. Owing to the pandemic, many courses were forced to move online. The IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) is allowing international students who have joined these courses to be considered for a PGWP.

Students who have a study permit are also included in this group. It also includes students unable to travel to Canada to join an approved program starting in May or June. These are students who are affected by travel restrictions due to COVID-19.

International students facing this issue of access to Canada can begin their classes online. They may thus complete up to half of their program while abroad until travel service to Canada is resumed. The restriction on international students who were approved for a study permit after March 18 will remain in effect till June 30, 2020.

IRCC’s temporary reform opens a path to international students willing to eventually get a permanent residence in Canada. As per a survey by the Canadian Bureau for International Education, 60% of Canada’s international students share this desire. For them, a PGWP is an important step towards gaining the Canadian experience. They need such experience to become eligible for an economic class immigration program.

If you are looking to Study, Work, Visit, Invest or Migrate to Canada, talk to Y-Axis, the World’s No.1 Immigration & Visa Company.

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