PGWPs expired after September 2021 will qualify for an additional work permit
The Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration is now extending post-graduate work permits (PGWP) to international graduates with an expiring PGWP between September 20th, 2021 and December 31, 2022.
Tens of thousands of former international students will now receive an additional open work permit of 18 months. According to the Minister, this will give them an opportunity to stay in Canada longer, and help businesses find the workers they need.
IRCC is now working on a simplified process and will provide further details in the weeks ahead.
Background
On April 22, 2022, Immigration Minister Sean Fraser announced a new temporary policy that will give recent international graduates with expiring temporary status, an opportunity to stay in Canada longer. However, at the time, just those with an expiring PGWP between January and December 2022 qualified for the additional open work permit extension.
The Immigration Minister is now extending this policy to more PGWP holders.
About 95,000 PGWPs will expire in 2022. As many as 50,000 PGWP holders could benefit from this new open work permit. Source: IRCC.
<<Also Read: Canada to resume FSWP and CEC invitations in July>>
At the time, IRCC also recognized the role that international graduates play in addressing the labour shortage in Canada. “Those nearing the end of their post-graduation work permit are already well-integrated into Canada’s labour market,” said IRCC. It also pointed out that most of these international graduates work in key industries across the country.
“Tens of thousands are able to successfully transition to permanent residence each year, including more than 157,000 former students who became permanent residents in 2021, with more than 88,000 of them transitioning directly from a post-graduation work permit to permanent status.”
Help for International graduates!
For Post Graduate Work Permits or other international student or graduate options, fill out the following form. Alternatively, please book a consultation session. If you are not an international student or graduate in Canada, fill out our assessment form.
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