Work permit in Canada can still be obtained after studying online
Special measures were extended.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic last year, Immigration Canada (IRCC) decided to make temporary changes to the Post Graduate Work Permit requirements for international students. Previously, a student had to complete at least half of their studies full-time to receive a work permit. Moreover, the time that a student studied remotely was not counted for the issuance of a postgraduate work permit. That is, if a student studied one year of distance learning and another year in Canada, he/she could count on a PGWP for 1 year, not 2.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, many international students were unable to travel to Canada and had to study remotely. Therefore, IRCC temporarily waived the requirement that a student must have completed at least half of their program of study in Canada to receive a PGWP.
Under the new rules, even those who have completed more than 50% of their degree program online can now qualify for PGWP. Students who entered Canadian higher education in March 2020 and/or started their studies between March 2020 and August 31, 2022, can still qualify for the PWGP even if 100% of their studies were completed online. And these temporarily amended rules were extended in September until December 31, 2023. That is, if an international student started studying at a Canadian institution before August 31, 2022, and will graduate before December 31, 2023, having completed all of their studies online, they will still be able to get a work permit after their studies.
Those students who began or will begin their studies between September 1, 2022, and December 31, 2023, can also expect their distance learning time to count towards their post-study work permit, but only if at least half of their program of study is completed in full-time study when they arrive in Canada.
Study time that the international student spends outside of Canada after December 31, 2023, will be deducted from the duration of the PGWP, regardless of when the student started or will start their studies.
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