STUDIES COMPLETED OUTSIDE CANADA: PGWP ELIGIBLE

Submitted by Jaya Kiran on Sat, 02/13/2021 - 17:50

In another bid to save the country’s lucrative international education sector, Ottawa announced on Friday its plan to extend and expand the interim measures in place to keep the appeal of a Canadian education even without the in-person learning experience.

International education was among Canada’s biggest “export” sectors. In 2019, the country welcomed more than 572,000 foreign students, who contributed $21 billion to the Canadian economy and supported 170,000 jobs through tuitions and spending.

 

Statement from Immigration Minister:

“This new policy means that students hoping to work in Canada after graduation won’t miss out on opportunities, while ensuring that our economy and society continue to benefit from all that international students bring,”

As part of the Government’s efforts to support international students, the Honourable Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship has announced further measures to ensure that international students won’t miss out on opportunities after they graduate due to the pandemic. 

 

With the prospect of many international students continuing online learning from abroad for several more months, temporary changes to the PGWP Program put in place earlier in the pandemic are being extended and expanded.

 

These measures will assist international students by ensuring that studies completed outside Canada will count towards a future PGWP, and by allowing international students to complete their entire program online from abroad and still be eligible for a PGWP. 

 

The measures apply to all international students who are enrolled in a PGWP-eligible program, and meet all other PGWP criteria.

 

Studies completed outside Canada up to December 31, 2021, will count towards a future PGWP and allow international students to complete their entire program online from abroad while still being eligible for a PGWP.

 

These temporary changes apply to all international students who are enrolled in a PGWP-eligible program, and meet all other PGWP criteria.