International students have been a huge part of the Canadian culture and society and they account for more than $21 billion in economic activity as well. When the pandemic hit the world, the immigration suffered a major setback and in order to ensure the smooth sailing, the Canadian Minister of Immigration, Refugee, and Citizenship, Honorable Marco E.L. Mendocino, announced some temporary changes to the policies that will support and reassure the International students and the universities as well.
The September intake is right around the corner and the world is just getting used to online education. These measures were taken in order to ensure the safety of the students as well as the teachers. The Minister announced additional measures that will support the international students who are willing to start their education in Canada with a new online program for the Fall intake.
These new measures include:
- providing priority study-permit processing for students who have submitted a complete application online, to ensure that permits are processed as quickly as possible.
- allowing students to count the time spent pursuing their studies online abroad toward their eligibility for a post-graduation work permit, if they have submitted a study permit application and if at least 50% of their program is completed in Canada.
- providing reassurances to international students who cannot submit all of the documentation needed to complete processing of their applications, and who choose to pursue programs through distance learning, by implementing a temporary 2-stage approval process.
The temporary process will allow applicants to count the time spent studying online abroad towards their post-graduation work permit. However, this will be only after the students receive an approval in-principle after having satisfied all the requirements for the study permit. The students will have to submit the remaining documents when the services begin to open again and the students will be able to travel to their universities.
“The pandemic has had a significant impact on international students and the Canadian institutions and communities that host them. This is why we have implemented a series of measures to support them. We value the contribution of young people seeking a high-quality education in Canada, and we’re making every effort to minimize how current challenges affect their plans and dreams for the future.” – The Honourable Marco E. L. Mendocino, P.C., M.P., Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
Source: Canada.ca
