There is a new way for people holding expiring PGWP to obtain open work permit, i.e., some current and former Post Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) holders.
These permit holders may be eligible for an 18-month Open Work Permit starting April 6, 2023.
More information about it is available on the website of IRCC. The window for applying to transit the status from PGWP holder to work permit holder will be open until December 31, 2023. Eligible individuals will be able to work under any occupation and for any employer of their choice in Canada for up to additional 18 months, which are the benefits of obtaining the open work permit.
The eligible candidates are going to be able to opt into a simplified process to extend their work permit, apply to extend their work permit, or apply to restore their status and get a new work permit.
A candidate can still apply for a work permit if he is not eligible to opt-in. In this blog, the way for people holding expiring PGWP to obtain open work permit will be elaborated further.
What To Do If You Are Eligible To Apply For Simplified Extension?
Before discussing further about the way for people holding expiring PGWP to apply for open work permit Canada in 2023, it is also important to know about eligibility. Emails have been recently sent by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to those people who may have been eligible for the simplified process of work permit extension.
Messages have been arriving from email addresses that ends in @cic.gc.ca or @notifications.canada.ca. An action must be taken by Individuals before May 20, 2023, and apply before the work permit expires, as noted by IRCC.
You must reside in Canada and log into your IRCC account to make sure that your email address is up to date, confirm your passport information is up to date and has an expiration date of June 2025 or later, and opt it for up to an additional 18 months, to be eligible for a simplified process.
You will need to register for an IRCC secure account if you do not already have one and then link your most recent PGWP application to your account before May 20, 2023.
About The Recent Open Work Permit Extension
IRCC would enable eligible former and current PGWP holders to access a new Open Work Permit as announced by Canada’s Immigration Minister Sean Fraser in March, which is one way for people holding expiring PGWP to obtain open work permit.
Usually, people with expiring PGWP either need to find a way to remain in Canada or leave the country altogether, as a PGWP is non-renewable. This special public policy is to provide PGWP holders with more time to potentially transition to permanent residence and help employers across Canada address their historic labour shortages as stated by Fraser. Eligible International graduates are allowed by PGWPs to work up to 3 years after completing their studies in Canada.
Since PGWPs allow international graduates to strengthen their eligibility for Canadian permanent residence, these permits are quite popular among people. Candidates who have Canadian work experience are rewarded by many of Canada’s economic class immigration programs since Statistics Canada research shows such experience helps support labour market integration upon gaining permanent residence.
This explains why more points are offered to people with Canadian experience by programs such as Express Entry, Provincial Nominee Program, and other economic class pathways. Canada hosted a record 800,000 international students last year. In 2022, almost 98,000 PGWP holders transitioned to permanent residence accounting for nearly 82 % of all temporary residents.
IRCC noted there were over 286,000 PGWP holders in Canada at the end of last year when announcing this special policy measure last month. 127,000 PGWPs will expire in 2023 as estimated by the department. 67,000 people who were PGWP holders already applied for permanent residence, and hence, applying for a new open work permit through this special measure is not required for them. If you are still confused Best Immigration Consultants for Canada in India, Oasis Resource Management are here to help you out.
