Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada have planned to extend the distance learning measures to August 31^st, 2023. During the overwhelming phase of the pandemic, international students were permitted to continue their courses virtually while living in their home countries and remained eligible for a Post-graduation work permit (PGWP). They also announced on August 25^th that distance learning measures will be in effect till August 31^st, 202toto offer international students enough time to return to Canada.

Foreign students who are studying online in their home countries or those who have submitted a study permit application before August 31^st, 2022 are allowed to pursue the course online, without compromising on their eligibility for a PGWP.

Before the pandemic hit the world student needed to complete at least 50% of their course offline, and the duration of time spent studying online outside Canada was deducted from the duration of their PGWP. That being said, study courses completed abroad commencing on September 1^st, 2023 will be subtracted from the duration of their PGWP, irrespective of when the course started.

The extension of the temporary distance learning measures will impact the international students starting programs from September 1^st, 2022 to August 31^st, 2023. These amendments will imply:

• More than 50% of the credits earned can be completed outside Canada to remain eligible for a PGWP.
• Studies completed online starting on September 1, 2023, will be deducted from the length of a PGWP.

However, the federal government will rank study permit applications for students beginning their course in September, and a few foreign students may not have their application processed on time to begin their studies in person for the fall 2022 intake period.

Brief about Post-Graduate Work Permit

The Post-Graduation Work Permit permits international students who graduated from a participating Canadian post-secondary institution to garner valuable Canadian work experience. Work experience gained through PGWP also helps the candidate’s application to become a permanent resident in Canada. Post-Graduation Work Permit is valid for eight months to three years and is a great way to attain valuable Canadian work experience. Once the candidate has enough work experience in Canada, it brings a lot of opportunities to attain Canadian permanent residence.

PGWP Eligibility

To stand eligible for a Post-Graduation Work Permit, an international student must be at least 18 years of age and have completed full-time studies in Canada in a program with a minimum duration of 8 months. The study program must have been completed at a Designated Learning Institution (DLI) in one of the listed programs. To apply for a work permit, an applicant must apply within the duration of 180 days of the completion of their study program.

The following levels of programs are eligible for PGWP:

• Public post-secondary school, such as a college, trade/technical school or university, or CEGEP in Quebec
• Private post-secondary school that operates under the same rules as public schools (only applies to certain institutions in Quebec)
• Private secondary or post-secondary school (in Quebec) that offers qualifying programs of 900 hours or longer, leading to a diplôme d’études professionnelles (DEP) or an attestation de spécialisation professionnelle (ASP); or
• Canadian private schools that can legally award degrees under provincial law.