Canadian Government Support Systems For International Students

After COVID, this is a crucial time for Canada to recover its economy and accelerate growth. As the economy is expanding faster than employers can hire new workers, Canada is exploring every possible option to ensure it has the skilled workforce required to fuel long-term development. However, the country is facing unprecedented challenges in finding labour and workers. According to the Canadian government, international students are permitted to work in Canada for a maximum of 20 hours per week through off-campus work authorization under their study permit.

To figure out this major problem, IRCC announced the temporary lifting of this rule. So, from November 15,2022 until December 31,2023 international students who are in Canada and who have off campus work authorization on their study permit will not be restricted by the 20-hour-per-week rule. The non-citizen whose student permit application is approved will get the benefit of this provisional change. For the benefit of the country and students, to self-directing the processing of extension of study permit, IRCC is also starting a pilot project.

The aspirants who have routinely high approval rate and have previously been approved to study in Canada are being included in this pilot. This will involve small group of applicants who have the benefit of seeing the process of extending the study permit much faster, with the aim of improving client service. This will permit officers to focus on more complex application. There are over five lakh international students available right now in Canada that are capable to work additional hours. Study permit holders are still expected to balance their study and work commitments, as those who stop studying or reduce course loads to only study part-time are not eligible to work off-campus.

There are several strong motives behind this decision. It is expected to benefit international students and graduates while supporting Canada’s broader efforts to enhance client services and reduce application processing times. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is taking a keen interest in raising the standards of immigration processing, as Canada continues to receive unmatched attention from applicants worldwide. Through round-the-clock efforts, the department aims to strengthen the immigration system, shorten waiting periods, reduce application backlogs, and improve the overall experience for students pursuing in-demand fields such as career options after studying cyber security in Canada.

• a transition period for those studying online from abroad
• an opportunity for those with expired or expiring post-graduation work permits to get an additional 18-month open work permit.

1. There is an increase of 23% in study permit application. From January 1, 2022, to the end of August 2022, more than 452,000 study permit applications have been processed. During the same period in 2021, which was a record year, 367,000 applications were processed.
2. In the past, nearly half of the post-secondary international students in Canada reported earning income during their studies. Most post-secondary international students are allowed to work on and/or off campus, with their authorization to work printed directly on their study permit.
3. Prior this decision, any student with the authorization to work off-campus was permitted to work a maximum of 20 hours per week while class is in session, as well as full-time during scheduled breaks. Students eligible to work on campus are not subject to a cap on hours for on-campus work.
4. Applications being considered as part of the pilot to automate study permit extensions will need to meet certain criteria in order to be automated. Applications that fall outside of the criteria will be manually reviewed by officers. The automated process will not refuse applications or recommend refusals. Any decision to refuse an application will continue to be made by an officer.
5. IRCC processed nearly 119,000 study permit extension applications in 2021, with an approval rate of 97%. From January 1, 2022, to the end of August 2022, more than 135,000 were processed, with an approval rate of 96%.