In devastating news for Indo-Canadian students, Canada announced that it will not provide additional work permit extensions to post graduate work permit holders. This is part of the several announcements made by the Immigration Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) regarding Canada’s International Student program. Due to this shocking development, more than 23 lakh students may be affected and possibly have to return home. But it is more pertinent to know about the options that are still available regarding work permit extensions. Here are the details:
Work permits that are ending on January 1, 2024 will not be given any additional work extensions. But the IRCC notes that the work permits ending on December 31 can be extended for 18 months. Post graduate work permits allow students to stay and work in Canada after they have completed their studies. The students who were provided work permits on April 6, 2023 can also apply for open work permit extension before December 31, 2023.
Presently, about 14 lakh students are working in Canada on Post Graduate Work Permits, and due to this decision, they may have to go back to their native countries next year. The number of students from Punjab working on work permits is more than five lakh.
Currently, 9.5 lakh international students in Canada have study permits and about 14 lakh have work permits. Out of 14 lakh students with work permits, so far only 3 lakh applicants have applied for PR in Canada. After 2017, students with two-year study permits started being given work permits of 4.5 years, which included three extensions of 18 months each.
Its a tough time for aspiring students looking to complete their studies abroad. On December 9, IRCC announced changes to the student immigration policy wherein the minimum cost-of-living funds was increased. The increased amount is also double the previous amount, going from 6 lakhs (10,000 CAD) to 12 lakhs (20,635 CAD). Australia followed by announcing its new immigration policy with the intent to halve the amount of migrants entering the country each year.