CIMM - International Students - Nov 25, 2020

Key messages

• The Government of Canada recognizes that international students provide tremendous social, cultural and economic benefits to campuses, communities and to Canada.
• Canada’s diverse and welcoming society, its high quality educational institutions and the opportunities provided to work and immigrate after graduation, have made Canada a leading destination for international students.
• Throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, IRCC has implemented a number of facilitative measures to help international students affected by health and travel restrictions in Canada and elsewhere.

Changes to the travel restrictions on international students

• As of October 20, 2020, international students attending a designated learning institution that has been determined by their provincial and territorial government as having a COVID-19 readiness plan in place are allowed to travel to Canada as long as they meet all health and travel requirements to ensure health and safety of Canadians and residents.

Temporary Changes to the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program

• Due to the health and travel restrictions, temporary policy changes were made to the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program to encourage students to continue pursuing their Canadian programs of study, offer assurance that they would be eligible for the program, lessen the negative financial impact to institutions, and maintain Canada’s standing as a top destination for international students.

Study permit processing

• Students who have submitted a complete study permit application online and who are destined to a designated learning institution with an approved COVID-19 readiness plan will benefit from priority processing.

Supplementary messages

Exemption to the temporary COVID-19 travel restrictions

• As of October 20, 2020, (i) study permit holders, (ii) those approved for a study permit, and (iii) those who may apply for a study permit at the port of entry: may enter Canada as long as they are attending a Designated Learning Institution (DLI) that has a been determined by the province or territory as ready to accept international students from the public health perspective. The list of approved DLIs can be found on IRCC’s website. Immediate family members of international students may be able to accompany them if their reason for travel is also considered to be non-optional or non-discretionary.
• With primary responsibility for education and health care, provincial and territorial governments assess COVID-19 readiness plans that schools are putting in place. As part of their plans, DLIs are expected to provide specifics on how they will provide information to international students on health and travel requirements before they arrive in Canada, help students with their quarantine plans and have protocols for the health of students in the event that there are suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases at the school.
• As of November 17, 2020, there were 688 approved post-secondary DLIs listed on IRCC’s website as ready to receive international students. [Redacted] The following nine provinces have also provided blanket approval for the Kindergarten to Grade 12 (K-12) sector: BC, AB, SK, MB, QC, NB, NS, ON and PEI.
• The Department continues to be in close and ongoing communication with officials from the Public Health Agency of Canada, Canada Border Services Agency, Global Affairs Canada, provinces and territories and education sector stakeholders to assess the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Responsive only (short-term study): International students travelling to Canada for short-term study of 6 months or less generally do not require a study permit. However, in order to access the travel restriction exemptions in place, these students on short-term study can apply for a study permit. They will be allowed entry with a study permit as long as they are seeking to enter to attend an institution that has been determined by the province or territory as ready to accept international students from the public health perspective, and they meet all other entry requirements.

Temporary policy change to the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program and distance learning

• Given the impact of COVID-19 on international students and the post-secondary sector, temporary policy changes have been made to post-graduation work permit eligibility requirements.
• Under normal circumstances, 50% of a program of study must be completed in-Canada and in-class, and time spent studying outside of Canada is deducted from the length of the work permit.
• The following temporary policy changes have been made to ensure international students can remain eligible for the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program if they study online in or outside Canada:
  • In Canada: Students who are studying in Canada and whose classes have been moved online due to COVID-19-related health restrictions will remain eligible for the post-graduation work permit.
  • Outside Canada: Time spent studying outside of Canada in a post-graduation work permit-eligible program offered by an eligible Canadian institution until April 30, 2021, may be counted toward the overall length of the post-graduation work permit, provided the student completes at least 50% of their program of study’s total courses in Canada (either online or in class).
  • In addition, temporary policy changes have been made to support those who wish to take more than one program, and for those in short-term programs (8-12 months in length) who may be unable to travel to Canada to complete 50% of their program
    • Short term studies: Students who started short programs (8 to 12 months in length) in the spring, summer or fall 2020 semester may complete their entire program of study outside of Canada and still maintain post-graduation work permit eligibility, provided that they meet all the other applicable program requirements. Time spent studying outside of Canada after April, 30, 2021 may be deducted from the length of the post-graduation work permit.
    • More than one program: Students who begin a program of study in the spring, summer or fall 2020, and complete that program entirely online up to April 30, 2021, and who graduate from another program of study, may be able to combine the length of the two programs when applying for a post-graduation work permit as long as both programs are eligible and 50% of the combined length of the programs is completed in Canada.
• These measures are available to eligible students who at the time of their online studies held a valid study permit, had been approved for a study permit, or who had submitted a study permit application prior to commencing their program of study in the spring, summer or fall 2020 semester, or the January 2021 semester All students must eventually be approved for the study permit and those who must complete 50% of their program(s) in Canada, must be issued a study permit in order to be eligible to apply for a post-graduation work permit.

Investment to promote Canada as a place to study, work and live to welcome students from diverse set of countries

• The Department is continuously working with provinces and territories and health to put in place safe measures to ease border restrictions for international students. As institutions advance their plans to manage public health risks associated with students coming to study in Canada from abroad, we hope the current economic uncertainty will be minimized in order for institutions to safely welcome international students.
• Through Canada’s International Education Strategy - led by Global Affairs Canada and supported by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and Employment and Social Development Canada – federal departments will continue to pursue its diversification of source countries for international student recruitment and those students’ study destinations across Canada.
• The federal government will also continue to work with the education sector stakeholders and provincial and territorial partners to align marketing and promotional efforts with the needs of the sector and to better understand the longer term impact on the sector in terms of recruitment and diversification so that we can support the sector’s recovery.

Measures to extend stay and document requirements

• Recognizing the impact of the travel restrictions, international students in Canada whose permits were set to expire in the near future were encouraged to apply online to renew their status. By doing so, they can continue to study or work as applicable, while their application is in process.
• The Department is providing more time for applicants to provide necessary documentation (increasing from 30 days to 90 days), and has committed that no application would be refused for non-compliance where an applicant is unable to provide the required documents or information during this time

Study permit processing

• Given new international students are unable to obtain necessary documentation due to COVID-related closures in their country of origin, the Department introduced a temporary two-stage study permit assessment process for the fall 2020 cohort of international students who had applied on September 15th, 2020 or earlier (this process has been discontinued but may be revisited in the future if necessary).
• This temporary two stage process gave students starting programs in the fall 2020 semester greater confidence that they could begin studying online and have this time count towards their post-graduation work permit as well as greater assurance that they will be able to enter Canada at a later date.
• Students are permitted to travel to Canada once their destined DLI has been approved with a COVID-19 readiness plan determined by the province and territory as ready to receive students, and has been published on the IRCC website.
• Students who have an approved visa/eTA, but are awaiting their study permit confirmation as attending an approved institution will receive a push notification (email) advising of whether their Designated Learning Institution has received approval and they could then travel to Canada for their studies. The lists are updated every two weeks based on Provincial confirmations.
• The Department will prioritize the processing of complete study permit applications who are destined to study at an approved Designated Learning Institution with a COVID-19 readiness plan. By prioritizing these applications, international students will be able to travel to Canada for the duration of their program. The economic benefit to Canada of in-person students is higher than those engaged in remote learning.  The Department will monitor the potential increase in security screening referrals in some markets, depending on the level and field of studies.

Applications Processed – Study Permit and Extensions

• From January to September 2020, the Department processed approximately 123,000 applications for study permits. This compares to approximately 340,000 for the same time period in 2019, representing a 64% decrease.
• From January to September 2020, the Department processed just over 182,000 applications for study permit extensions. This compares to just over 162,000 study permit extensions processed during the same period in 2019, accounting for a 12% increase.
• Study permit output saw a decrease from January to September 2020 of 59% when compared from the same period in the previous year.

Impacts on approval rates for study permits from francophone students from Africa

• Supporting immigration from francophone countries is a priority for the Department. Unfortunately, the pandemic has affected local conditions overseas, including the ability to obtain documentation such as passports and education credentials to complete a study permit application. This has been seen in most top source countries for international students, including those in the Maghreb and Francophone Africa.
• In addition, given the closures of Visa Application Centres, and the reduced availability of panel physicians and other service providers, students located in countries that are able to apply for faster processing through the Student Direct Stream in countries such as Morocco and Senegal may be experiencing additional delays in obtaining their study permits.
• We know students and stakeholders are concerned with application backlogs. The Department is monitoring the situation closely and is considering options such as re-assigning staff working in areas that have seen a decrease in application volumes (e.g., temporary resident visas for visitors) to process study permit applications and reduce backlogs.

Biometrics

• In order to continue processing applications of foreign nationals present in Canada for a visitor visa, temporary resident status, or work or study authorization, despite the inability to provide biometrics, a new public policy authorizes an exemption from the biometrics collection requirement.
• The public policy specifically applies to foreign nationals in Canada who are applying for one of the following:
  • a temporary resident visa; extension or restoration of temporary resident status;
  • a work permit or renewal of a work permit;
  • a study permit or renewal of a study permit; or
  • a temporary resident permit.
• Exempting these applicants from the requirement to provide biometrics will allow IRCC officers to continue processing their applications and issue immigration documents to qualifying individuals who are currently in Canada with status, but do not have a physical document and are experiencing challenges in accessing services with provinces and territories.
• Although the pandemic has impacted the ability of some prospective students to be able to provide biometrics at Visa Application Centres outside of Canada, IRCC is working with the Visa Application Centre contractors to be able to reopen safely to the public in their respective countries.
• Currently students in Canada are exempt from biometrics.
• Biometrics are required for students applying from outside of Canada. As of November 16, 2020, 12 VACs are fully open and 91 offer partial services (reduced hours and/or limited services). 58 VACs remain closed, of which 28 have resumed back-office work. The Department is working on prioritizing biometrics for students in India and Brazil as VACs have not fully re-opened.  At this time completing biometrics at the port of entry is not feasible.

Recommendations from Universities Canada and Colleges and Institutes Canada

• Universities Canada and Colleges and Institutes Canada appeared on November 16, 2020 to speak about the vital role that institutions play in attracting, developing and retaining international students and help them become ideal candidates for permanent residency and citizenship, which are key in achieving immigration target levels and for Canada to remain a destination of choice for top talent. Many of the themes in this note align with stakeholder interest.
  • Representatives raised key recommendations in regards to the Department investing in improving the student experience and simplifying processing systems, especially for biometrics. It was suggested that the Department implement short-term measures to:
  • Remain competitive and attract students to allow for biometrics to be completed in Canada at the port of entry from countries where visa application centres remain limited or closed such as French-speaking countries as well as an extension to 2021 for the two-stage process and more time to spend studying online to count towards the post-graduation work permit;
  • Work collaboratively with CICan and other stakeholders to develop and implement an information sharing mechanism that would allow visa officers and designated learning institutions to share information in real-time related to admissions and study permit outcomes and matters of immigration and success for international students;
  • Support Canada’s labour market needs by emphasizing express entry points for post-secondary education with in-demand technical and professional skills and providing settlement services to international students; and
  • Investing to ensure that colleges and institutes can welcome students, and potential new immigrants from a diverse set of countries.
• The department is looking into these recommendations and considering measures to ensure that stakeholder views are considered in a thorough manner.

Supporting facts and figures

• International students contribute over $21.6B per year to the Canadian economy – greater than exports of auto parts, lumber or aircrafts.
• Canada offers a generous international student program. Worldwide, Canada ranks 4th for education destination of choice.
• In 2019, the Department issued more than 400,000 study permits to international students, including extensions (13% increase over 2018). The average study permit approval rate in 2019 was 58% (excluding extensions).
• In 2019, there were 829,405 international students in Canada studying from primary to post-secondary levels (in 2015, there were 495,590 students in Canada).

Applications for study permits

• From January to September 2020, the Department received approximately 216,000 applications for new study permits. This compares to approximately 316,000 new study permit applications for the same period in 2019, representing a 32% decrease. The significant decrease is due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the Visa Application Centers closures and overall processing delays.
• The most significant decrease happened in April 2020 around the time of the travel and health restrictions due to COVID-19 (approximately 8,000 study permit applications received), which accounted for a 75% decrease compared to the same period in 2019.