Har Amol Walia, RCIC | 10 October 2024

 

Immigration to Canada is not easy anymore. Once a country with easiest immigration rules is now changing it’s rules and policy to stop the influx of the immigrants. However, these changes are not just affecting the people who are planning to immigrate to Canada but also are a matter of concern for people who are already in the country with a temporary permit. Let us understand, what are these changes and how is it going to impact immigrants?

Changes in PGWP Eligibility

Post-Graduate Work Permit is issued to international students who have completed their studies in Canada. For duration of 8 months to one year course, a student get 1 year of work permit. For two year (minimum 16 months) study program 3 years of PGWP is issued.

With the recent changes, this scenario will change. Not everyone enrolled in Canadian University/Colleges will be eligible to apply for a work permit after completing their studies. Now only those students will be issued PGWP whose field of studies align with the shortage of labor market needs.

Another change is going to be with language proficiency, now students will have to appear for a language proficiency exam before applying for PGWP. A CLB level 5 is required for college students and CLB level 7 is required for University students.

Impact on International Students

This change is going to effect around 7 lakh students in coming years. Students who were planning to pursue diploma courses in Canada, like Business Management, Project Management, Business Analytics, Public Relations, etc. will no longer be eligible for a PGWP since these courses are very common and there is no labor shortage in these fields. This will reduce the number of students entering Canada, students with skill based courses and jobs will have an advantage.

Changes related to language proficiency will not effect students coming from countries like Indian, because they have already appeared for IELTS exam before coming to Canada. So this change should not effect International Students coming from India. However, they will still have to appear for language proficiency exam, which might add extra financial burden on students.

Changes in Spousal Open Work Permit Eligibility

As per new rules, which will be implemented later this year, spouses of international students will not be eligible for a PGWP right away. In order to be eligible for a spousal open work permit, an applicant’s partner must be enrolled in a Master’s program with duration of 16 months at least.

For Foreign Workers’ spouses, they will only be eligible for an open work permit if a foreign worker is working in a management occupation or they must be a skilled worker working in a sector where there are labor shortages for example healthcare and construction.

Impact on partners of International Students

As per an expert estimate this change will lead to drop in spousal work permit applications by 100,000 in next three years. However, till now no official date has been announced for these restrictions but it is likely that they will come into effect in the later months of this year.

What are your options and right steps for you ?

If you are planning to arrive in Canada in coming sessions, please make sure that you select a right course for yourself. For comprehensive guidance you can contact us. Another thing to keep in mind is to select courses on the basis of immigration requirements like skilled-trades and Master’s program are some options which can help you.

Selecting the right choice of study will not only lead to a permanent residence for you in Canada, also, you can bring your spouse to Canada along with you. If you are already in Canada and willing to bring your spouse here, contact us for more information and we can help you out.

You can give us a call at +1 416-628-6222 to speak to one of our RCICs.