Canada’s Immigration Minister Sean Fraser announces work permit extension for PGWP holders
Canada’s Immigration Minister, Sean Fraser, has recently announced that individuals with an expiring Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) will have the opportunity to apply for an Open Work Permit extension beginning on April 6, 2023. This extension will be available to anyone whose PGWP expires in 2023, as well as those whose PGWP expired in 2022 and who applied for IRCC’s Open Work Permit extension last year.
From April 6, candidates will be able to apply for the extension on IRCC’s website. Upon application, they will receive an email containing an interim work permit authorization, which can be presented to employers to legally continue working in Canada.
Moreover, individuals whose legal status in Canada has expired will also be able to apply at the same time to restore their status, even if their status expired outside of the 90-day grace period that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) provides. This means that such individuals will have the opportunity to restore their status and obtain an interim Open Work Permit authorization concurrently, as early as April 6.
Canada’s Immigration Minister, Sean Fraser, has recently announced that individuals whose Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) is expiring will have the opportunity to apply for an Open Work Permit extension starting April 6, 2023. This extension will be available to those whose PGWP expired in 2022 and applied for an Open Work Permit extension last year, as well as those whose PGWP is expiring in 2023. The process will be done online, and applicants will receive an email with an interim work permit authorization that they can present to their employers to continue working in Canada legally.
Post-Graduation Work Permits are issued to international students who graduate from an eligible program at a Canadian designated learning institution (DLI). DLIs include colleges, universities, and other educational institutions that have been approved by the government to welcome international students. PGWPs allow international graduates to work for any employer in Canada for a maximum of three years, and the length of the permit is determined by the length of the educational program completed by the graduate.
PGWPs are highly sought after by international students because of their potential to contribute to Canada’s economic class immigration programs. Studies have shown that a combination of a Canadian education, work experience, improved language skills, and social networks can increase the economic integration of international students who become Canadian permanent residents. IRCC will invite eligible individuals to log into their online account on April 6 to apply for the extension.
Canada invites another 7,000 candidates in surprise Express Entry draw
In the latest Express Entry draw of 2023, Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) invited 7,000 candidates in an all-program draw with a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 484. This means that candidates from the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) were considered.
The size of this draw ties with the largest-ever all-program draw on March 15, 2023, with the same number of invitations but a slightly higher minimum CRS score of 490. This draw is surprising because it is the second consecutive week that IRCC has invited Express Entry candidates, while usually, draws are held bi-weekly.
700 Indian students are being deported from Canada. Here’s why
The fraud came to light when they applied for PR
According to recent reports, Canada has issued deportation notices to over 700 Indian students who were found to have submitted fake admission offer letters while applying for student visas through a Jalandhar-based agency called Education Migration Services, headed by Brijesh Sharma.
The students had applied for student visas from 2018 to 2022 and paid more than Rs 16 lakh per student to Sharma’s agency for all expenses, including the admission fee to the prestigious Humber College. However, upon arriving in Toronto, the students were informed by Sharma that the courses they had been accepted for at Humber College were full, and he suggested that they take two-year diploma courses at another college. The agent returned the fee he had taken for the Humber college admission, making the students less suspicious of his motives.
The students completed their courses and some even obtained work permits. However, when the students applied for Permanent Residency in Canada, they were required to submit relevant documents including the admission letters to the CBSA (Canadian Border Security Agency). An investigation by the CBSA revealed that the admission offer letters were fake. Consequently, the students were issued deportation notices.
Reports suggest that the only option left for the affected students is to challenge the deportation order in court, but the process could take three to four years. Sharma is currently absconding and the Indian Express has reported that this is not the first time he has been accused of fraud. In 2013, he was arrested for forging documents to send students abroad when he was running an immigration agency called Easy Way Immigration.