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Canadian Govt to Permit International Students to Work Off-campus Up to 20 Hours Per week
Sean Fraser, Immigration Minister, announced a significant reform in Ottawa- international students who are in Canada and have off-campus work authorisation on their study permit can work over 20 hours per week off-campus while class is in session from November 15, 2022, until December 31, 2023.

by Pragti Sharma / 10 Oct 2022 14:04 PM IST / 0 Comment(s) / 256

Image Courtesy www.facebook.com/SeanFraserMP



On October 7, 2022, Sean Fraser, Immigration Minister, announced a significant reform in Ottawa- international students who are in Canada and have off-campus work authorisation on their study permit can work over 20 hours per week off-campus while class is in session from November 15, 2022, until December 31, 2023. Fraser said this approach aims to alleviate the labour shortages being experienced across Canada.



As of today, this temporary approach will also apply to foreign nationals who have already submitted a study permit application. They will also be able to gain profit from this measure if Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada approve their application.



Canada is suffering from historic labour shortages and an unemployment rate low by historical standards. According to Statistics Canada, Canada's unemployment rate dropped to 5.2% in September, down from 5.4% in August.





Currently, international students who wish to study in an eligible Canadian educational programme may get permitted to work off-campus during their studies for more than 20 hours per week. This limit is raised during breaks such as the winter and summer holidays. This reform enables international students to support themselves financially while also striving to ensure that they stay focused on finishing their studies rather than be concentrated on working in Canada.



Sean Fraser said that this reform by the Canadian government would allow more than 500,000 eligible international students already in Canada to work up to 20 hours.



Canada is one of the leading studying destinations for international students. In 2021, Canada hosted more than 620,000 international students- a figure that tripled over the past two decades. Last year, Canada issued around 450,000 new study permits. Still, international students wish to study in Canada due to multiple elements such as the quality of education, affordability of the Canadian dollar, multiculturalism, and the work and permanent residence prospects that the country delivers.



Canada has processed over 452,000 study permit applications between January and August of 2022, a 23% growth compared to the 367,000 processed over the same time in 2021. The country has already broken the record it fixed last year for study permits processed in a calendar year.



According to research by the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE), international students report they are interested in staying in Canada as permanent residents upon finishing their studies.



The research by Statistics Canada depicts that international students who want to achieve permanent residence tend to merge fast into the Canadian labour market due to aspects such as their Canadian study experience and work and English or French language proficiency.



This report explains why Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) delivers measures to support international graduates to work in Canada and remain there.



Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) provide the famous Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP). The PGWP allows international students to get an open work permit with a validity period that corresponds with the duration of their educational programme in Canada.



Open work permits enable international students and foreign nationals to work for any employer in Canada. The maximum Post-Graduation work permit validity duration is three years. Foreign nationals with PGWP can gain the professional Canadian work experience they frequently require to become eligible for an economic-class immigration program.



The most significant immigration pathways provided by IRCC fall under the Express Entry System, with PGWP holders generally pursuing permanent residence via the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) program.



Territories and provinces across Canada also award international graduates with domestic work experience. Quebec & (PNP) Provincial Nominee Program stream across the country to deliver permanent residence pathways to international graduates and facilitate them to stay in the province or territory and continue contributing to the labour market as immigrants.



Canada has looked to international students as a critical source of permanent residents in recent years, particularly during the pandemic. For example, IRCC depended, especially on international graduates reaching its goal of landing more than 405,000 new immigrants in 2021, breaking Canada's record for recently landed immigrants in a year.



IRCC did this by landing and inviting extensive numbers of Canadian Experience Class Candidates. It presented a time-limited (TR2PR) Temporary Residence to Permanent Residence Program in 2021 that allowed around 90,000 residents to apply for immigration.

Immigration Minister Sean Fraser also has a mandate from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in order to recognise other methods for international students and temporary foreign workers to achieve permanent residence through Express Entry.



In addition, Fraser introduced a strategy in September which outlined how the government seeks to allow more temporary residents to accumulate permanent residence. The plan has five pillars, which include modernising the immigration system to enhance application processing times. He added we will achieve significant insights into the newcomer strategy by the Canadian government when they table their new Immigration Levels Plan 2023-2025 by November 1.


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