Question Period Note: INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS – IMPACTS OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC

International students in Canada or planning to study in Canada have been impacted by the health and travel restrictions imposed to address COVID-19 pandemic. The Department has put in place measures to assist international students during these uncertain times.

• International students make immense economic, cultural and social contributions to Canada.

• A number of temporary measures were put in place to help international students deal with the uncertainties of the pandemic. For example, students who are studying online in Canada or abroad can remain eligible for a Post-Graduation Work Permit.

• In addition, IRCC took steps to offer more opportunities for students to transition to permanent residence through a one-time only temporary public policy that created a pathway for recent international graduates working in Canada.

If pressed on processing
• Between January and September 2021, IRCC received over 406,000 Study Permit applications, and processed over 418,000 applications (some of which were received before January 2021). This compares to around 317,000 applications received and around 222,000 applications processed from January to December 2020.

If pressed on Chinook
• The Chinook spreadsheet is not a decision-making tool and has no effect on the outcome of an application. It does not fundamentally change the way applications are processed.
• Given the increase in the number of applications, the Chinook tool was developed as a way of achieving efficiencies by presenting the information which is already in our Global Case Management System (GCMS), in an excel spreadsheet.
• It reduces the amount of time a decision maker spends on uploading the same information on multiple screens. This is especially important in countries where the bandwidth is slow, slowing down processing of files.

Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) and Distance Learning:

• The PGWP provides international students with the opportunity to work in Canada for up to three years following their graduation, depending on the length of their program. Under normal circumstances, 50% of the program of study must be completed in-Canada and in-class, and time spent studying outside of Canada is deducted from the length of the work permit.

• Given the challenges with travel due to the pandemic, greater flexibilities with the PGWP related to distance learning were introduced as early as March 2020.

As announced in February 2021, international students undertaking programs between March 2020 and fall 2021 can count studies completed outside of Canada until December 31, 2021, towards the eligibility and length of a future PGWP. International students can also complete 100% of their program of study online from within or outside Canada while remaining eligible for a PGWP.
• These measures are available to eligible students who applied for a study permit prior to commencing their program, and receive a study permit or approval for a study permit. All other program eligibility requirements apply.

Former students in Canada with expired or expiring Post-Graduation Work Permits:

• On January 8, 2021, the Department announced a temporary public policy that facilitated the issuance of open work permits with durations up to 18 months to foreign nationals in Canada with an expired or expiring PGWP. The public policy took effect on January 27, 2021 and expired on July 27, 2021.

• The public policy was a COVID-19 facilitation that recognized the extraordinary impacts the pandemic had on the Canadian labour market and former students’ plans to work in Canada after graduation. The measure provided former students with additional time to accumulate the work experience required to qualify for permanent residence programs, the ability to support themselves in Canada, and the ability to fill Canadian labour market needs.

New pathway to permanent residence for 40,000 international graduates:

• On May 6, 2021, the Temporary pathway to permanent residence opened for applications, with a stream for up to 40,000 international graduates who had recently completed an eligible Canadian post-secondary program, and who were currently employed in Canada, to apply for permanent residence.

• To promote Canada’s official languages, an additional stream with no intake cap was also launched for French-speaking or bilingual candidates.

• The 40,000 intake cap filled shortly after opening and applications under this pathway are no longer being accepted. International graduates continue to have pathways to permanent residence through existing economic immigration programs.

Processing May Commitment for Study Permit Applications:

• In support of the Fall 2021 enrolments, IRCC committed to issue a final decision by August 6, 2021 on completed study permit applications received before or on May 15, 2021.

• This processing commitment was undertaken to address stakeholder concerns over longer than usual study permit processing time resulting from COVID-19, and to provide assurances to international students that they can pursue their studies at Canadian designated learning institutions. Nearly 29,000 study permit applications were captured as part of that commitment and all have been finalized.

Current Status on India and Processing

• India is one of Canada’s top source countries for international students.

• With the academic year underway for many Canadian universities, colleges and schools, there has been a sharp decline in the number of study permits authorized and pending arrival. For the period of October 18, 2020 to October 30 2021 a total of 77,500 study permits have been authorized and are pending arrival. The 5 top source countries with study permits authorized pending arrival are:
o India - 21,300
o People's Republic of China - 11,700
o Philippines - 3,200
o France - 3,100
o United States of America - 2,500

• The ban on direct flights from India was lifted on September 26, 2021. Despite the flight ban in previous months, Indian Nationals continued to arrive in Canada. In September, over half of the 64,000 students that arrived in Canada were Indian Nationals. CBSA has indicated that many international students coming from India were transiting through Mexico to get to Canada.

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