Canada relaxes rules for Post-Graduation Work Permit

Canada relaxes rules for Post-Graduation Work Permit

The November 2019 official opening of Centennial College’s Philippines representative office in Makati City, Manila. (Photo credit:  Centennial College)

But international students face challenges

Marco Mendicino, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced that the time that students spend online learning from abroad will count towards a future Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP).

By Irish Mae Silvestre
The Philippine Reporter

As a student, Clarine Mae Ramos’s days are long, consisting of seven hours of classes and labs. She’s now in her fourth and final semester of her Petroleum Engineering Technology program at Southern Alberta Institute of Technology’s (SAIT). Like many international students studying at a Canadian institution, she joins her classes virtually.

The only difference: when Ramos logs online for her classes, she does so from home in Bacolod, Negros Occidental, Philippines.

“I’ve done two semesters in Canada and one and a half semesters here [in the Philippines],” said Ramos. “I was supposed to return before the start of my fourth semester, but it got delayed.”

Clarine Mae Ramos

And Ramos isn’t alone.

With many international students continuing their education outside Canada, colleges like Seneca have had to “pivot” to an online learning environment.

“Our academic and service areas have been working really closely with students to support them throughout the immigration changes and updates,” said Angela Burnie, senior manager, international and operations at Seneca College. “They share how this affects their studies, what they’re doing to support them and what their options are.”

Marco Mendicino, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced that the time that students spend online learning from abroad will count towards a future Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP). Students have the option to complete their program online and still be eligible for a PGWP.

“Their status may be temporary, but the contributions of international students are lasting,” said Mendicino. “Our message to international students and graduates is simple: We don’t just want you to study here, we want you to stay here.”

With international tuition fees at over twice the domestic rate, students bring in considerable revenue, contributing over $21 billion annually to Canada’s economy.

How Changes Could Affect Students

The announcement is a welcome change for many students including Celeste Porto, who recently moved to Ontario for her post-graduate program after a six-month delay due to “ambiguous” travel restrictions.

“Students still get to work [in Canada] even without the tenure required to be here during study periods,” she said. “They get a chance to be a permanent resident via the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) pathway.”

The students interviewed for this story stated that the relatively lower cost of living outside Canada is one of the key benefits of distance learning. However, challenges include attending online classes in Canadian time, as well as poor Internet connections.

Celeste Porto

As for students who complete their programs abroad, colleges are also ready to provide their students the support they need to navigate requirements and assisting them in their job hunt.

“Centennial has a team that will assist with the PGWP process and assist in identifying work opportunities, the resume, interviewing and connecting the student with related industry opportunities,” said Virginia Macchiavello, associate vice president of international education at Centennial College.

However, another student (who asked to have her name withheld) said that the influx of international students on PGWPs could mean even more job competition for residents and citizens.

“This could lead to a scenario where there are more workers than jobs available,” she said, “thus

reating an imbalance in society if businesses will not expand in the future, given the present crisis.”

Michael Corralles, an RCIC immigration consultant and founder of Facebook group Pinoy International Students of Canada, said that these changes to the PGWPP is good news. However, students who completed their programs outside Canada could face other hurdles.

“If you land here with a fresh work permit and have zero network, the time it takes to establish that network is going to eat up your three-year work permit,” said Corralles. “If you’re here [in Canada] working part-time, you work with people and you network.

“You ask if people know someone and sometimes that’s how students get a job, [through] referrals. [But] that option isn’t accessible for [students coming in on the PGWP] because they’re not in the country.”

He pointed out that the lack of Canadian work experience could also make it harder for students to find jobs upon arriving.

Ramos said that the changes in the PGWPP could be a sign that students are in this for the long haul.

“The fact that they’re allowing students to finish 100 percent of their programs online means that the situation we’re in with the pandemic will continue longer than we initially expected,” she said.

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Irish Mae Silvestre is a Toronto-based journalist who has worked at magazines in Dubai, Chicago and New York. She covers news, lifestyle and entertainment. She studied journalism at Rutgers University, New Jersey and earned her master’s degree in journalism at DePaul University, Chicago. You can follow her on Twitter @irishmae101