Int’l Students Lacking Canadian Work Experience Due to Pandemic Will Have Another Chance for Permanent Residence Permit

International students who have not been able to gain job experience in Canada due to the COVID-19 pandemic will be given another opportunity to meet an obligatory condition in order to obtain a permanent residence permit, the Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino has announced lately.

A provisional policy in Ottawa will give permission to international students who have an expired or expiring post-graduate work permit, to submit applications for a new permit which will be effective for 18 months in total, Erudera reports.

Moreover, international students who complete studies in a designated Canadian post-secondary college or university will be qualified for a work permit which will be valid for up to three years. The lasting period of the work permit will also depend on the duration of students’ academic programs.

Among other things, the Canadian education credentials along with work experience have gained particular importance for international students who intend to secure a permanent residence in the country, which in the process of selecting immigrants, provides those qualifications with bonus points.

During 2019, over 58,000 international students who completed studies in Canadian higher education institutions have managed to submit applications for permanent immigration.

Yet, the COVID-19 virus has led to a difficult job market during 2019 and 2020, causing international graduates to let go from their jobs.

As a result, they could not manage to meet the Canadian work experience requirement and had to face the possibility of having to leave the country despite the time and the amount of money they had spent.

Compared to local students, international students have to pay much more for their studies. The tuition fees of international students are three to four times higher than those of domestic students.

On a yearly basis, international students contribute more than $21 billion to Canada’s economy.

According to a survey carried out by Navitas in September, Canada has been listed higher as a safe and stable study destination among international students, together with New Zealand.