April, Canada said that Post Graduation work permit (PGWP) holders would get more time. Post this postponement announcement that shows a downfall of Canada for not granting open work permits to PGWP holders.  As of now that it’s August, and these international students who have graduated have no way to apply but to lose their legal status and thus will be deported.

Immigration Minister Sean Fraser says that technical problems are to blame for the fact that some people with a Post Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) still can’t get a new open work permit that would let them keep working in Canada. This particular measure was put in place months ago.

In April, the minister said that starting in the summer, people with a PGWP that was about to expire would be able to get an extra open work permit for up to 18 months. It affects people who have a PGWP and whose papers expire between September 2021 and December 2022.

This revolutionary step has a reason to help PGWP holders who weren’t invited to apply for permanent residence in Canada while draws for the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) were on hold. Owing to this, PGWP holders could lose their jobs, have to leave the country, get another work permit, or break the law to keep working if they can’t get a new open work permit.

After meeting with the Canadian provincial ministers of immigration, Fraser told reporters that the delay was because of an old technology system that is being replaced.

In addition, a suggestive resolution has been made public by the Canadian immigration minister which went like, “The solution that we were pursuing was very difficult to implement in a timely way because our technology did not allow for the proposed solution that we were seeking to advance,” Furthermore Fraser said, a successful policy has been found. An announcement for the same could be coming next week.

He continued by adding that “I’m hoping to have good news next week that we’ll deliver in a very timely way an ability for those who are affected by a potential expired post-graduate work permit that will allow them to remain and continue to work in Canada,”

When asked if applicants for the new open work permit would get to keep their status, which would let them keep working while their new permit request was being processed, Fraser did not say one way or the other. Rather, Fraser stated that they are very close to finalizing the details of this policy but his goal is to allow people to work as quickly as possible after they submit their application and they do expect to have final details released next week that they’ll be able to stay in Canada and continue to work,” Fraser said.

With this, the IRCC discovers that this policy could be a helping hand for around 50,000 PGWP holders out of the 95,000 permits that are anticipated to get expired in 2022 itself.