The Canadian government seeks to promote the French language through immigration

The Canadian government intends to promote the French language and develop groups of high numbers of French speakers in various parts of the country. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is facing challenges to protect the French language, one of the two official languages in the country besides English. Last February, Minister of Official Languages Melanie Jolie announced that the government was intending to table a bill aimed at reforming the Official Languages Act. In the meantime, the Federal government keeps implementing policies to stimulate immigration of the Francophones outside Quebec. For instance, the most popular policies are granting extra points for French in Express Entry and the LMIA exemption for foreign workers under the Francophone Mobility program. #French, #Francophones, #Express_Entry, #LMIA

April 6, 2021

The number of PGWPs increase by 25% in 2020

In 2020, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued Post Graduate Work Permits (PGWP) to 122,695 international graduates. This is a 25% increase compared to 2019 when IRCC had granted PGWPs to 98,545 international students. The number of issued PGWPs has significantly increased in the last quarter of 2020. Throughout October, November and December, IRCC issued 23,540, 20,360, and 25335 Post Graduate Work Permits. During the pandemic, IRCC allowed many international graduates to extend their stay in Canada so they can get more chances to apply for permanent residence. The Post Graduate Work Permit Program was established in 2005 as a pathway for international graduates to obtain Canadian work experience. In January 2021, IRCC already issued 15,165 PGWPs. #international_graduates, #international_students, #PGWP, #Work_permit, #OWP, #Work_in_Canada

April 6, 2021

Saskatchewan still has 970 spots for international graduates under the SINP

On April 5, 2021, the government of Saskatchewan posted new data on the number of spots remaining through the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program (SINP) for international graduates in the province. Last month, SINP allocated 1,000 spots for direct submission of a nomination application under the new temporary immigration policy aimed at retaining international graduates in Saskatchewan. Since the last week, the province accepted 12 applications, and 970 spots remain available. SINP updates this data every Monday. #Saskatchewan, #SINP, #PNP, #international_students, #international_graduates

April 6, 2021

How do the universities help international students during the pandemic?

Many educational institutions are implementing policies to reduce the financial burden on international students. For instance, the University of Waterloo pays the cost for days 4 to 14 for students who self-isolate on the campus in Kitchener, ON. The University of Calgary organized a Zoom-based buddy system in its quarantine system. Volunteers stay in contact with the students on their self-isolation. The University of Toronto established a $9.1 million fund to help international students to pay for the hotel quarantine and created quarantine space in its dormitories for some of the students. Smaller communities like the University of Lethbridge, AB and Thunder Bay (Lakehead University), ON, organized home renting and buying goods services for the students on quarantine. Such policies may help the Canadian education system to overcome the stormy period helping to attract more international students. #international_students, #COVID_19, #quarantine, #study_in_Canada

April 6, 2021