- The tip-off +1 News Received is now Official, Minister Sean Fraser made the announcement at Humber college on March 17, 2023
- The Extension will help workers extend their stay in Canada for additional 18 Months
- Workers can submit their applications starting April 6, 2023 and the applicants will receive an Interim Work Authorization to continue to work in Canada
- Those who were eligible for the 2022 extension will also qualify for this extension
- Workers who have crossed their 90 days restoration period can also apply and continue to work under the same conditions
Breaking News: Minister Fraser announced a PGWP Extension for 2023
March 17, 2023, 11:30am EST: Minister Fraser have just announced an extension of Post Graduate Work Permit (PGWP is a once in a lifetime opportunity and isn’t supposed to be extendable) for International workers with statuses set to expire in 2023.
Minister Fraser recognized the importance of Immigration in his opening remarks and cited the demographic challenges Canada is facing. Minister also added that anyone who isn’t Indigenous came from a different part of the world, highlighting the importance of Immigration in the History of Canada during his announcement to extend PGWPs for 2023.
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Introduction:
Thousands of International workers were reportedly set to loose their worker status in 2023, while their peers were given a PGWP Extension which was announced on August 02 as a Public Policy, a large number of PGWP holders were frustrated for being excluded from that Public Policy. This Public Policy allowed work permit holders with status set to expire on or before December 31, 2023 to extend their stay in Canada, people who had their status expire in 2023 were calling on the Federal Government and the Minister of Immigration, Refugees, & Citizenship Canada Honorable Sean Fraser to extend their stay in Canada, just like their peers in 2022.
Recently, Minister of Labour and Immigration of Manitoba, honorable Jon Reyes also called on Minister fraser to extend all work permits ending in 2023, citing the economical importance of granting this extension to the Province of Manitoba. This call by Minister Reyes was supported by the Deputy Premier of Alberta Honorable Kaycee Madu. (Read full story here)
Diving into the Situation: What went wrong with the Post Graduate Work Permit holders?
COVID-19 Pandemic had a severe impact on the delivery of IRCC’s services, a new pathway to Permanent Residency (TR to PR) was brought forward by the IRCC in 2021, which allowed tens of thousands of International workers who were employed in Essential jobs, transition to Permanent residency.
The public policy was brought forward in good faith. While this pathway helped thousands of workers transition to permanent residency, many applications are still pending with no updates since 2021.
After this, the Express Entry Draws, which usually happen every two weeks, were paused for over 10 months from September 2021- July 2022. Due to this pause, there was a high influx of candidates in the Express Entry pool of candidates. This lead to a temporary inflation of the Comprehensive Ranking System score required to get the Invitation to Apply for Permanent Residency.
(Express Entry is Federal Government’s Express pathway to Permanent residency, the Federal Government sends out Invitation to apply (ITAs) to International students and graduates to apply for Permanent Residency. These candidates are ranked in the pool of candidates according to their skills, education, & language abilities. A higher score reflects a candidate’s ability to adapt and integrate into the Canadian societies, hence greater their likelihood is of getting an invitation to apply.)
Due to the instability of the Express Entry and inflated CRS scores, a large number of highly skilled PGWP holders who would otherwise have received an ITA at any point in the history of the Express Entry before COVID-19, did not receive one and were struggling to maintain their stay in Canada and continue working. Hence the International workers were calling for a PGWP Extension 2023 to include those workers who were excluded from the Public Policy which was announced in 2022.
Manitoba and Alberta called on Sean Fraser to Extend all Work Permits:
The provinces of Manitoba and Alberta have made a joint call to the federal government of Canada to extend all Work Permits for international workers that are set to expire in 2023. The Minister of Labour and Immigration of Manitoba, Honorable Jon Reyes, and the Deputy Premier of Alberta, Honorable Kaycee Madu, have both expressed their support for the extension of these work permits.
In a letter written by Minister Reyes to The Honorable Sean Fraser, he highlights the long wait times for Permanent Residency (PR) applications with Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) and the significant contribution that international students and workers make to the local economies of Manitoba. Minister Reyes encourages Minister Fraser to extend the work permits to help these skilled workers continue to work in Canada and fill critical shortages. Minister also emphasized the financial loss and difficulties local businesses in Manitoba were facing in the growing labour market of Canada.
Frequently asked Questions (FAQs):
Who can apply for this PGWP Extension?
A Post Graduate Work Permit holder with their worker status set to expire between January 01, 2023- December 31, 2023 are eligible to apply. PGWP holders will benefit by getting their worker status extended for 2 additional years.
Is PGWP Extendable?
No, PGWPs are a once in a lifetime opportunity. A Post Graduate Work Permit can not be extended. A worker may be able to extend their stay in Canada as a worker by applying for a New Work permit.
How can I apply for PGWP Extension 2023?
You can log into your IRCC account, click on Come to Canada> Work> fill out the questionnaire with correct details and you will be redirected to the submission page if you are eligible.
