The international students have long been an integral part of the Canadian society. They bring about a diversity into the nation and more than $21 billion in economic growth as well. The COVID-19 pandemic was a setback for the international students studying or planning to study in Canada and in order to facilitate the online learning, Canadian Minister of Immigratraion, Refugee and Citizenship, Marco E.L. Mendocino announced various changes to the study permit policies. These changes will be temporary in nature and are there to accommodate, support, and reassure the international students and the universities in Canada. With the September intake right around the corner, people all over the world are shifting to online education for their own safety. Mendocino announced additional measures that take effect to support the international students who are looking to advance their education with the Canadian universities. These measures are a part of a new online program set in place for the Fall intake. These new measures include:

• providing priority study-permit processing for students who have submitted a complete application online, to ensure that permits are processed as quickly as possible
• allowing students to count the time spent pursuing their studies online abroad toward their eligibility for a post-graduation work permit, if they have submitted a study permit application and if at least 50% of their program is completed in Canada
• providing reassurances to international students who cannot submit all of the documentation needed to complete processing of their applications, and who choose to pursue programs through distance learning, by implementing a temporary 2-stage approval process

These measures will allow the students to fast-track their applications for the Permanent Residency since the time that they spend in the online programs will also count towards their post-graduation work permits. The students, however, will need to receive an approval in-principle by submitting the required documents and fulfilling all the requirements for the study permit. While there is a provision to submit only a few documents right now, the students will have to submit the remaining documents once the services open up again and travel is possible. “The pandemic has had a significant impact on international students and the Canadian institutions and communities that host them. This is why we have implemented a series of measures to support them. We value the contribution of young people seeking a high-quality education in Canada, and we’re making every effort to minimize how current challenges affect their plans and dreams for the future.” – The Honourable Marco E. L. Mendicino, P.C., M.P., Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Source: Canada.ca