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CANADA LIFTING THE 20 HOUR PER WEEK CAP ON THE WORK AUTHORISATION ASSISTING CANADIAN LABOUR MARKET

Employers in Canada are facing unprecedented challenges in finding and retaining the workforces they need during this period of economic recovery and growth in Canada. The Government of Canada is current to take actual actions to address current labour needs.

The Minister advised that from November 15, 2022, until December 31, 2023, international students who are in Canada and who have off-campus work authorization on their study permit will not be limited by the 20-hour-per-week rule.

• Foreign nationals who have already submitted a study permit application, as of today, will also be able to benefit from this temporary change, provided their application is approved.
• This is a good move made by the Canadian government which will benefit economy of the country and help students gain Canadian work experience while they are students in Canada.  
• This measure will offer many international students with a larger opportunity to gain valuable work experience in Canada, and will increase the availability of workers to sustain Canada’s post-pandemic growth.
• With more than 500,000 international students now in Canada available to possibly work additional hours, this temporary change reflects the important role international students can play in meeting Canada’s labour shortage, while continuing to pursue their studies.
• Study permit holders are still expected to balance their study and work commitments, as those who stop studying or reduce course loads to only study part-time are not eligible to work off-campus.
• This month, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is also introduction a pilot project to automate the dealing out of study permit extensions.
• The types of applications being comprised in this pilot have a consistently high approval rate, as all applicants have previously been approved to study in Canada.
• The pilot will involve a small group of applicants who could see their long study permit processed much faster, with the goal of improving client service.
• Should the pilot be fruitful, it will be expanded in order to help decrease processing times and allow officers to focus on more complex applications.

The latest announcement is part of a series of initiatives that aim to help international students and graduates, while supporting Canada’s broader efforts to improve client service and application processing times in Canada.

Additional measures recently announced will benefit international students and recent graduates contain:

• This transition period for those studying online from abroad  

• an opportunity for those with expired or expiring post-graduation work permits to get an additional 18-month open work permit.

With supreme interest in Canada from applicants around the world, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) remains to set the bar higher for immigration processing. Ongoing efforts and client service improvements by the department goal to strengthen Canada’s immigration scheme, shorten wait times, reduce application backlogs and recover the experience of clients overall.

The Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship says “With the economy growing at a faster rate than employers can hire new workers, Canada needs to look at every option so that we have the skills and workforce needed to fuel our growth. Immigration will be crucial to addressing our labour shortage. By allowing international students to work more while they study, we can help ease pressing needs in many sectors across the country, while providing more opportunities for international students to gain valuable Canadian work experience and continue contributing to our short-term recovery and long-term prosperity.”

• Most post-secondary international students are allowed to work on and/or off campus, with their authorization to work printed directly on their study permit. In the past, nearly half of the post-secondary international students in Canada reported earning income during their studies.

• Prior to today’s announcement, any student with the authorization to work off-campus was permitted to work a maximum of 20 hours per week while class is in session, as well as full-time during scheduled breaks. Students eligible to work on campus are not subject to a cap on hours for on-campus work.

• From January 1, 2022, to the end of August 2022, more than 452,000 study permit applications have been processed. During the same period in 2021, which was a record year, 367,000 applications were processed. This represents an increase of 23%.

• IRCC processed nearly 119,000 study permit extension applications in 2021, with an approval rate of 97%. From January 1, 2022, to the end of August 2022, more than 135,000 were processed, with an approval rate of 96%.

• Applications being considered as part of the pilot to automate study permit extensions will need to meet certain criteria in order to be automated. Applications that fall outside of the criteria will be manually reviewed by officers. The automated process will not refuse applications or recommend refusals. Any decision to refuse an application will continue to be made by an officer.

Bilimoria & Associate is specialised in Immigration visas to Canada with 27 years of experience and will be able to guide applicants on various visa types based on the eligibility.

Bilimoria & Associate liaisons with Member of Law Society of Upper Canada and Canadian Bar Association (Immigration section) (CPTLS). We can assist you with preparing a successful visa application to Canada.

Applicants can forward their resume to assess their eligibility under Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program and Canadian Experience Class or Provincial Nominee Program and be successful in obtaining a family Immigration visa. 

Bilimoria & Associate also deals with Dependent settlement visa (spouse & child inclusion)  and Parent and Grandparent Super visa.

You can write to us to assess your eligibility at:  neville@bilimoriaassociate.com  (or) contact us +91 44 2822 7127 / 2823 9229 / 4350 8191  between Monday – Friday to assist you for Immigration visa to Canada.

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