Canada opens new paths to residency by extending work permits for postgraduates

From Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

A new policy gives former international students who hold, or have held, a post-graduation work permit (PGWP) the opportunity to apply for an open work permit that will allow them to continue living and working in Canada.

The permit, which will be valid for 18 months, will be helpful for students who’ve been unable to obtain the Canadian work experience needed to apply for permanent residence because of the pandemic.

This new policy will also help more graduates fill pressing needs for workers in health care, technology and more. It could even help international students build their futures in Canada and ultimately contribute to Canada’s short-term economic recovery from the pandemic as well as its long-term prosperity.

New open work permits are also for recent graduates from Hong Kong. Launched recently by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), and valid for up to three years, these open work permits give Hong Kong residents the opportunity to gain valuable experience while working and living in Canada. To be eligible, Hong Kong residents must have graduated with a Canadian post-secondary degree or diploma (from a minimum two-year program) in the last five years, or hold an equivalent foreign credential. Hong Kong residents who hold a Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passport or British National (Overseas) passport may also apply. Eligible spouses or common-law partners, as well as dependent children, can also apply for the new work or study permit.

Hong Kong residents currently in Canada temporarily as a students, workers or visitors can apply online. Those applying from abroad will be subject to the current COVID-19-related travel restrictions and may not be able to come to Canada at this time, unless they have a job offer or meet a travel exemption. Travel to Canada remains limited, and there are strict public health and quarantine requirements upon arrival in Canada.

These are the first of several measures intended to increase pathways to permanent residency in Canada.

IRCC estimates that as many as 52,000 graduates with expired or expiring PGWPs could benefit from the public policy. Of nearly 61,000 PGWP holders whose work permit had an expiry date between January and December 2020, about half either have already become permanent residents or have a permanent residence application in processing.