Post-Graduation Work Permits can be extended for 18 months

Post-Graduation Work Permits can now be extended for additional18 months according to the announcement made by the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (IRCC) on April 22, 2022. The Immigration Department has also announced that Express Entry draws will soon resume, that invitations for candidates to apply for permanent residence will begin in early July, and that the majority of new applications will be processed within the 6-month service standard.

The new temporary policy that will give recent international graduates with expiring temporary status an opportunity to stay in Canada longer, so that they can continue to gain work experience and have a better chance at qualifying for permanent residency. Starting in summer 2022, former international students who are in Canada and have a post-graduation work permit expiring between January and December 2022 will qualify for an additional open work permit of up to 18 months. Details of the new program will be made available in the weeks ahead.

Through another temporary public policy implemented in August 2020, foreign nationals in Canada as visitors have been able to apply for an employer-specific work permit without having to leave Canada. Recognizing that those with visitor status in Canada may also wish to stay and find meaningful employment, this temporary public policy has been extended to February 28, 2023.

Finally, the Minister announced new measures for those who applied for permanent residence through the temporary resident to permanent resident pathway last year. The limited-time pathway was launched in 2021 to invite a broad range of individuals already working in Canada to apply to stay permanently. While closed to new applications since November 2021, the processing of applications will continue for some time. 

Taking effect this summer, the policy changes announced today include:

• Applicants will no longer be required to remain in Canada while their application is being processed.
• Applicants who apply for an open work permit while waiting for their permanent residence application to be finalized will be able to get work permits valid until the end of 2024. This will ensure that all permanent residence applications will be finalized before applicants will need to apply to extend their temporary status again.
• To support family reunification, immediate family members who are outside Canada and who were included in a principal applicant’s permanent residence application will be eligible for their own open work permit.

For more detailed information, please feel free to contact our office or complete our online assessment questionnaire:  On-line Assessment Questionnaire