Paving Way for More International Students
Mendicino also says that the government is going out of its way to make it easier for international students to live and work in Canada. This is because young people from other countries are deemed as prospective counter forces to the effects of the low population. Actually, the government is now authorizing online studies at particular designated Canadian learning institutes between May 2020 and April 2021. With such a plan, it will be easy to count to word the future Post Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) Eligibility. The PGWP program is most suitable for international students as it equips them with Canadian work experience. Only then can they be eligible for a range of economic class immigration programs such as the Express Entry’s Canadian Experience class. Other programs include the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) and the Quebec Experience program. Candidates who have enrolled for classes at post-secondary institutions with coronavirus readiness plans can now enter the country for further studies.
The Benefits of Canadian Experience
The benefits of offering more PRs to students, asylum seekers, and skilled workers come in two folds. For starters, it will counteract the current immigration decline caused by the pandemic, consequently enhancing economic growth in the short run. Secondly, it brings long-term benefits to the Country, as immigrants with economic experience tend to emanate strong labor market outcomes.
The candidates have quality Canadian education, work experience, social and professional networks, and fluency in English and(or), French. Subsequently, they enjoy quicker market integration and high wages in the long run. This has been reported by numerous studies steered by Statistics Canada, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRRC), and other research institutes. The IRRC, provinces, and territories under the PNP and Quebec employ selection criteria that give a preference to candidates with Canadian study and work experience.
What Could These Changes Look Like?
Although the minister did not give a clear hint of the programs’ expected outcomes, his options may narrow down to one of the following:
- Inauguration of new pilot programs
- Initiation of program-specific-entry draws.
- Modification of the Comprehensive Ranking Score employed in the Express Entry program providing more points for Canadian experience.
- Enhance the federal programs’ eligibility criteria- for instance, they can opt to reduce the work experience prerequisite for the Canadian Experience Class.
- Increasing the duration of the temporary work permit. This ensures that each candidate who is looking forward to apply for PR gets enough time to acquire the necessary Canadian work experience to enhance their eligibility for an immigration program.
Mendicino and the IRRC did not give clear directions on what the reforms might entail. Therefore, the stakeholders will have to await the federal government’s directives.
