All you need to know about Temporary Changes to the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP)

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All you need to know about Temporary Changes to the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP)

March 23, 2021

By Amrita Nepal

PGWP internationalstudents

It’s time you removed any confusion about the temporary changes brought to the Post Graduate Work Permit program. With the impact of COVID-19, temporary changes were brought to the program, look at the major changes and what it means for you!

Before the temporary changes to this work permit, students taking distance learning courses were excluded from being eligible for their Post Graduate Work Permit, as their time spent in learning would not have been calculated towards PGWP, and 50 percent of the courses were to be completed in Canada, in-person. However, with the temporary policy changes, the distance learning program is now eligible for a post-graduate work permit, even if you completed your study in or outside Canada.

Eligibility criteria for PGWP temporary policy

To be eligible for the temporary policy, you must

• Be enrolled in PGWP-eligible program, and is in progress in March 2020

• Begin or will begin PGWP-eligible programs between spring 2020 and fall 2021

So, if you meet the criteria, you are no longer required to complete 50 percent of the course in Canada, in-person. Instead, you can complete the entire course online outside Canada and still be eligible for PGWP.

You may be eligible for a Post Graduate Work permit, provided you have a study permit, or have been approved for a study permit or submitted your application, which will be approved in upcoming days.

The changes to the work permit policy have been made to better accommodate international students' needs. The time you spent outside Canada will be counted towards the overall length of your post-graduation work permit until December 31, 2021. However, the spent outside of Canada, after December 31, 2021, will be deducted from the length of the post-graduate work permit.

Besides, to be eligible for the temporary policies, all other program criteria for a post-graduate work permit must be met!

Combined length of study for PGWP

If you are an eligible student, who graduated from more than one program of studies, and completed 100% of the programs outside Canada, and if the program was in progress since March 2020, or began between spring 2020 and fall 2021, you can be eligible to get PGWP, depending on the combined length of study.

Part-time change of status

Some students may have required to put studies on hold and become part-time students, due to public health measures that were implemented. For winter, summer, and spring 2020 semesters, if you’ve changed your status from full-time to part-time students, the eligibility towards the PGWP will not be impacted.

Documents Required

In case, you are not able to obtain a letter of completion or final transcript from the DLI because of the COVID impact, as a temporary provision, you will be allowed to submit without the letter of completion or final transcript, which can be submitted once the processing officer requests for additional documents.

In addition to the current changes to PGWP, IRCC has also announced a special opportunity for the former international students whose post-graduate work permit expired on or after January 30, 2020, or is expiring soon, have an opportunity to apply for an extension of the work permit, and get an extension for 18 months!

Temporary changes can be confusing, and if you are not sure regarding your eligibility for the post-graduate work permit, get professional help and consult! Don’t be in dilemma, and struggle to find the right advice, start your assessment and begin today!

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