Canada Federal Government has recently introduced new Post Graduate Work Permit (PGWP) Program for international students whose work permits has already expired or are about to follow the suit, report local media outlet the Canadian Press citing a statement from the Department of Immigration.
The new measure, announced on January 8, 2021, is viewed as a bid by the government to convince more foreign students to stay or settle in the country permanently.
In line to that, Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino said recently in a statement, ‘our message to international students and graduates is simple: we don’t just want you to study here, we want you to stay here.’
As per the announcement, former students who hold post-graduation work permits that have expired or will soon expire can now apply for it once again.
Immigration Minister Mendicino in the statement said that the new program would grant affected students 18 more months to stay in the country in search for employment.
The minister further said that the concerned foreign students could forward their applications seeking new work permits from this January 27 through July 27, 2021.
Eligibilities To Apply : Under the new policy, interested individuals must meet the following criteria to be eligible for application :
1. Must have a PGWP that expired on or after January 30, 2020 or a PGWP that expires in 4 months or less from the date of application.
2. Need to be in Canada at the time of application.
3. Must have valid temporary status or be applying to restore your status.
According to Canada’s existing work permit system, pots-graduate degree holder international individuals can now stay and look for jobs in the country for up to three years post study completion.
The students can employ the program as a gateway to having permanent residency (PR).
As per an estimate of the government, work permits of some 61,000 students were to expire last year. Of them, about half utilized the program for their PR.
The government holds hope with the new policy also as the department estimates that as many as 52,000 graduates with expired or expiring permits can benefit from it.
To note, Canada has been going through chronic labor market shortage. The ongoing covid-19 pandemic has worsened the situation as the flow of international students has reduced significantly over the last one year.
In an attempt to offset the existing crisis involving workforce, the Justin Trudeau administration has made several policy announcements in recent times with the aim of keeping more immigrants in the country.
Necessary Link : For further info on the program and related issues, one can surf the following link as well :
