In yet another step that is likely to push more international students to Canada, the country’s government has announced that Express Entry invitations to the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) will restart from July.
The move will provide a major respite to international graduates and temporary workers who have worked in Canada before. The programme is managed under Canada’s Express Entry system.
Quick Facts
- Foreign students contribute more than $21 billion per year to Canada’s economy
- Close to 100,000 Indians got PR status after Canada created a record for most new immigrants in its history at over 400,000 in 2021
- The Canadian government is also going to resume invitations for Express Entry to the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) around the same time as it opens CEC services
How Students Will Benefit
Launched in 2008 by the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), CEC offers international graduates and skilled temporary workers to apply for a permanent residency, provided they have prior work experience in the country.
Along with this move, getting a permanent residency in Canada is all set to get simpler and faster. The country’s government is also going to resume invitations for Express Entry to the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) around the same time as it opens CEC services. The country’s Immigration Minister Sean Fraser made these announcements last week.
The move will benefit applicants planning to apply for the CEC via the Express Entry, as they will be able to obtain their permanent residency status in six months. It will also increase the chances of former foreign students aspiring to work and settle in the country. Studying in Canada is a top priority for thousands of students every year.
Starting June 2022, students, whose post-graduation work permits will end or have ended between Jan 31, 2022, and Dec 31, 2022, will be eligible for an open work permit of 18 months.
How Students Can Get Permanent Residency via CEC
Thousands of international students enrolled in Canadian universities aspire to get a permanent residency in the country. Such foreign nationals can apply for permanent residency in Canada via CEC as international students. However, there are certain terms and conditions attached.
For starters, applicants must have finished a higher education degree from a Canadian institution and should have applied for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP). Also, clocking in about 1,560 work hours and taking an English or French language test designated by IRCC are other must-haves.
Foreign students contribute more than $21 billion annually to Canada’s economy and these steps indicate the Canadian government realises the key role the students play.
Indian Students Set to Gain
Indian students, being one of the top international student groups in Canada, are expected to benefit from the recently announced ease in the norms for getting a permanent residency in the country. There are around 217,410 Indian students enrolled in Canadian higher education institutions until December 31, 2021.
Moreover, with travel restrictions gradually lifting, more Indian students are expected to take admissions to Canadian universities. The restoration of CEC will surely encourage more students to take up courses in the country.
Indians have been among the top when it comes to bagging PR permits and student visas. As per official data, in 2020, Indian citizens got close to 51,000 invitations to apply for permanent residency in Canada, under the Express Entry scheme. A year later, close to 100,000 Indians got this status after Canada created a record for most new immigrants in its history at over 400,000.
