Canada expecting International students to help address labour shortage

With factors like, ageing population and shrinking workforce, skill or labour shortage remains one of the major problems of Canada in last few years. This is the reason that Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) every year invite a huge number of foreign skilled workers to apply for Canada PR visa through federal Express Entry System or Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs).

Now, government of Canada also eying to reduce the Skill Shortage through B. Find out more.

International students to help address skill shortage

Employers in Canada are facing exceptional challenges in searching and retaining the workers they require in this period of economic recovery and development. Hence, the government is constantly taking key measures to address current labour requirements.

Recently, Sean Fraser- the immigration minister of Canada has announced the temporary lifting of the 20-hour-per-week limit on the number of hours that qualified post-secondary students can work off-campus while class is in session.

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Canada is lifting the Limit on off-campus work hours for International students

Now, international students in Canada with off-campus work authorization on their study permit will not be restricted by the 20-hour-per-week rule from November 15, 2022, until December 31, 2023.

This measure from the Canadian government will provide many foreign students with a superior chance to acquire valuable work experience in Canada, and will improve the availability of workers to sustain post-pandemic development of the maple leaf country.

With over half million foreign students already in Canada available to potentially work extra hours, this temporary change shows the significant role these students can play in addressing Canada’s labour shortage, while continuing to pursue their studies. Study permit holders are still expected to balance their study and work commitments, as those who stop studying or reduce course loads to only study part-time are not eligible to work off-campus.

Other key measures for International Students

Find out few more measures likely to help foreign students in the country.

• IRCC is also launching a pilot project to systematise the processing of study permit extensions. The types of applications being included in this pilot have a constantly high approval rate, as all candidates approved earlier to study in Canada. The pilot will comprise a small group of candidates who could see their extended study permit processed quicker, with the aim of improving client service. Should the pilot be successful, the IRCC will expand it in order to help lessen processing times and allow officers to concentrate on applications that are more complex.
• a transition period for those studying online from abroad  
• A chance for those with expired or expiring post-graduation work permits to get an extra 18-month open work permit.

With a significant number of foreign students expressing interest to study in Canada, the current efforts and client service improvements by the IRCC targets to enhance and enforce Canada’s immigration system, reduce wait times, lessen application backlogs and improve the overall experience.

To know more and apply for relevant visa in Canada this year, you may contact Visas Avenue trusted Canada Immigration Advisor on Toll-Free No. 78-18-000-777 or you can drop us an e-mail at info@visasavenue.com.

- Rajneesh Kumar