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.

• We have put in place a number of measures to help international students deal with the uncertainties of the COVID-19 pandemic.

• First, students can extend their stay in Canada online, and have the assurance that they are eligible to continue studying or working here. Those who were forced to reduce to part-time studies or take a break in studies by the pandemic were allowed to continue to work on- or off-campus.

• Second, students whose courses were moved online as a result of the closure of their college or university were allowed to do so without affecting their eligibility for a post-graduation work permit in the future.

• For those approved for a study permit who were starting a program in the spring, summer or fall, they can complete up to half of their program online abroad without affecting their eligibility for a post-graduation work permit.

• Third, international students may work over their limit of 20 hours per week while classes are in session to work in an essential service or function, such as health care, critical infrastructure, or the supply of food or other critical goods, and contribute to helping meet the challenges of the pandemic.

If pressed on Fall session
• International students who were looking to study in Canada in Fall 2020, but are unable to travel Canada are able to complete up to 50 per cent of their program online if they are unable to travel to Canada sooner.
• Students who start their studies in the Fall 2020 won’t have time deducted from the length of their post-graduation work permit for studies they complete while outside Canada between the Fall 2020 and December 31, 2020.

• On March 18, 2020, the Government of Canada put in place measures to restrict air travel to Canada by most foreign nationals overseas, including international students. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada became aware that a number of study permit holders, including minor international students, had been travelling at that time of the restriction and were stranded abroad as a result, and unable to return to Canada.

• On March 26, 2020, the Government introduced exemptions to the travel restrictions to allow study permit holders, as well as study permit applicants who had received written approval of their application before noon on March 18, 2020, to travel to Canada.

Measures to support status renewal and documentation requirements

• Recognizing the impact of the travel restriction placed on international students who are in Canada, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada publicly encouraged students and work permit holders in Canada whose permits expire in the near future to apply online to renew their status. By doing so, they can continue to study and/or work while their application is in process.

• The Department is also providing more time for applicants to provide necessary documentation, and has committed that no application would be refused where an applicant is unable to provide the required documents.

Post-Graduation Work Permit and Distance Learning

• Due to the health and travel restrictions, many international students and academic institutions expressed concern about the possible effects of the students’ eligibility for a post-graduation work permit. This permit provides the international student with the opportunity to work in Canada for up to 3 years following their graduation, depending on the length of their program.

• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada announced that students who were studying in Canada and whose classes were moved online due to the emergency, would not be penalized on their post-graduation work permit eligibility, including the length of the work permit, provided they spent at least 50 percent of their time studying in Canada.

• The Department has since expanded this temporary policy change to be fair to additional groups of students, including:

• study permit holders who had already begun their studies in Canada, but left Canada and continued their courses online from their home country;
• study permit holders who are already in Canada to start a program in May or June 2020, but whose courses will initially be online only; and
• applicants who have been approved for a study permit to begin a program in May or June 2020, and who will begin their program online from their home country instead of trying to travel to Canada at this time, on the condition they eventually complete more than half of their program from inside Canada.

• For those who begin studying online but who do not have either a study permit or approval on their study permit application, those online studies will not count towards their eligibility for a post-graduation work permit.

Lifting the restriction on off-campus work for international students working in an essential service or function

• On April 22, 2020, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada announced that it will temporarily lift the 20 hour per week work restriction on study permit holders working off-campus during their academic session, provided they are working in an essential service or function. This facilitation, which went into effect immediately, is in place until August 31, 2020.

• International students and employers are encouraged to consult the Government’s Guide on Essential Services and Functions During the COVID-19 pandemic to determine if they work the student is or will do is considered an essential service or function.

Study permit processing

• Due to the Visa Application Centre (VAC) and Application Support Centers closure, limited access to IRCC offices and reduced hours of operation, applicants may be unable to provide their biometrics or other documents in support of study permit applications, or submit their original travel documents for visa issuance.

• No study permit application in progress will be closed or rejected due to a lack of documentation, such as giving biometrics or completing an immigration medical exam, when travel reopens.

• IRCC offices will continue to request any additional documents necessary for processing of immigration applications, and the applicant will have an extension from 30 days to 90 days to respond. At this time, IRCC is not considering waiving the biometrics requirement

• All study permit applications currently in progress at IRCC offices abroad and at case processing centres will continue to be processed but may experience delays due to service disruptions, missing documentation and restrictions as a result of COVID 19.

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