A post-graduation work permit (PGWP) allows international students to remain in Canada and work full time after they graduate from a designated Canadian post-secondary institution. It is an excellent way to advance professional goals and gain highly valued Canadian experience which might be required to be eligible for permanent residence in Canada.
However, to be eligible for PGWP, students are required to maintain full-time status as a student in Canada during each semester of study program that is at least eight months long. But with the new regulations in place amid COVID-19 pandemic, international students studying online courses in their study program which is about to start in coming weeks will not be considered ineligible to apply for PGWP.
Although many courses were forced to move online to contain the spread of coronavirus but IRCC has given flexibility in the policies allowing international students to take these online courses to be eligible for PGWP and, seek Canadian experience since many economic class immigration programs reward extra points for Canadian experience.
International students in this predicament can begin their classes while outside Canada and may complete up to half of their study program while abroad if they cannot travel to Canada. International students who were approved for a study permit after March 18 are currently not exempt from Canada’s travel ban, which is set to be in place until June 30.
