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. We have put in place a number of measures to help them deal with the uncertainties of the pandemic.

• For example, students have additional time to obtain the documents required to complete their study permit application. No application will be refused where an applicant is unable to provide the required documents.

• Students can study online in Canada or abroad and still remain eligible for the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program.

• As of October 20, students can enter the country if they are attending a designated learning institution that has a COVID-19 readiness plan in place approved by the province or territory. The list is now available on our website.

If pressed:
• Until further notice, study permit applicants applying from within Canada, along with other temporary resident applicants, do not have to submit their biometrics in order to have their application finalized.
• Students and other temporary residents who lost their status in Canada after January 30, 2020 now have until December 31, 2020 to restore their status, rather than the 90 days usually provided

• 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.

• On March 26, 2020, the Government introduced exemptions to the travel restrictions for foreign nationals traveling to Canada from any country other than the United States, 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 if their travel was considered non-optional or non-discretionary.

• Foreign nationals traveling to Canada from the US, including study permit holders, or those approved for a study permit, may only enter if they can demonstrate that their travel is non-optional or non-discretionary.

Measures to support status renewal and documentation requirements

• Furthermore, on July 14, 2020, the Department implemented a public policy that provides an extension for foreign nationals applying for restoration in Canada beyond the normal 90-day timeframe. Former students, along with former workers and visitors whose status expired after January 30, 2020, and who remained in Canada, have until December 31, 2020, to apply to restore their status, provided they meet the requirements for the type of status and authorization they are applying to restore.

• On July 15, 2020, to recognize the impact the ongoing service disruptions has had on applicants in Canada, the Department put in place a public policy to exempt temporary residence applicants, such as study and Post-Graduation Work Permit applicants, applying from within Canada from having to give their biometrics. Exempting biometrics allows IRCC to issue documents to many individuals who are currently in Canada with implied status but, absent a physical document, are experiencing challenges in accessing services in provinces and territories.

• The Department continues to provide more time for applicants to provide necessary documentation, and has committed that no application will 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.

• 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.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada announced temporary changes to the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program to allow international students to remain eligible for the program if they study online in Canada or from their home country.

• Most recently, on August 26, 2020, the following three temporary measures were announced:
o Students may study online from abroad until April 30, 2021, with no time deducted from the length of a future post-graduation work permit, provided 50% of their program of study is completed in Canada.
o Students who have enrolled in a program that is between 8 and 12 months in length, with a start date from May to September 2020, will be able to complete their entire program online from abroad and still be eligible for a post-graduation work permit.
o Students who begin a program of study from May to September 2020, and complete that program entirely online (up to April 30, 2021), and who graduate from another program of study, may be able to combine the length of the two programs when applying for a post-graduation work permit as long as both programs are eligible for this work permit and 50% of their total studies are completed in Canada.

• These measures are available to eligible students who hold a valid study permit, have been approved for a study permit, and those who have submitted a study permit application prior to commencing a program of study in the spring, summer or fall 2020 semester, or the January 2021 semester. All students must eventually be approved for a study permit.

Study permit processing and the temporary 2-stage approval process

• On July 14, 2020 Immigration, Refugees and announced a new temporary 2-stage approval process for international students who cannot submit all of the documentation needed to complete processing of their applications, and who choose to pursue programs through distance learning.

• The temporary process gives students greater confidence that they can begin studying online and have this time count towards their post-graduation work permit as well as greater assurance that they will be able to enter Canada at a later date.

• As services begin to reopen, applicants will be required to submit remaining documents and receive an approved study permit before being allowed to travel to Canada.

• Study permit applications that can be completed will receive priority processing.

Students who worked off campus in an essential service or function

• From April 22, 2020 until August 31, 2020, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada temporarily lifted the 20 hour per week work restriction on study permit holders working off-campus during their academic session, provided they were working in an essential service or function.

• A public policy was put in place on August 31, 2020 to provide these students with the assurance that their future work permit application (e.g. PGWP, co-op work permit) will not be jeopardized for breaching their study permit conditions of working more than the 20 hours per week during an academic session.

• Starting Oct 20, current travel restrictions will be modified for international students if they will be attending a designated learning institution that has been identified by their provincial or territorial government as having a COVID 19 readiness plan in place.

• The plan must provide information on health and travel requirements to students before they arrive in Canada; help them with their quarantine plan; and explain protocols for their health, in the event of suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases at the school.

• Immediate family members will be able to accompany international students to Canada. This will include a spouse or common-law partner, a dependent or, in the case of a minor studying in Canada, a parent or legal guardian, to support the young person through the quarantine period.

• As of October 20, 2020, study permit holders and those approved for a study permit will be exempt from the travel restrictions as long as they are attending a Designated Learning Institution (DLI) that has a provincially or territorially approved COVID-19 readiness plan in place. The list of approved DLIs can be found on IRCC’s website.

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