Canada Issues 56,000 Study Permits in the First Stage

Canada has already approved 56,000 study permit applications in the first stage for international students, Canada’s Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino has announced during a webinar on international student update held on September 22, 2020.

Despite the 56,000 study permits approvals, during the webinar, Minister Mendicino announced another important issue. He confirmed that the federal government led by Health Canada is cooperating with designated learning institutions (DLIs) in order to provide ideas and solutions on how these institutions can welcome international students safely in campuses amid COVID-19 pandemic.

Designated learning institutions (DLIs) are all the educational institutions, including colleges and universities which have received the government’s federal and provincial approval to welcome international students.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has issued the approvals to students after assessing some main criteria including admission letters from a DLI as well as proofs that the students can finance themselves during their studies in Canada.

To protect the safety of international and Canadian students, minister Mendicino emphasized that the Canadian Health Minister Patty Hajdu will engage in making sure that every designated learning institution will work in accordance to public health requirements of the area in which these institutions are located.

Although DLIs have shown interest in welcoming international students, many of the the latter are not allowed to travel to Canada due to travel restrictions imposed in the country.

During the discussion between Health Canada, provinces and territories representatives, it was concluded that the DLIs must focus on identifying whether the educational institutions are able to manage quarantine or social distancing restrictions in order to welcome the international students in the upcoming months.

Canada has still strict measures in place to prevent COVID-19 spread across the country. However, the number of cases in the country has increased in recent weeks. According to Canada’s laws, persons arriving in Canada should isolate themselves for 14 days.

In addition to this, Canada has established reforms which would allow international students to start or continue their studies in the country even amidst Coronavirus pandemic. One of these reforms is the two-step study permit process which offers students certainty on their studies abroad.

Moreover, international students have the chance to study remotely and yet be allowed to work in Canada through a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) when the pandemic is over.

After being permitted to travel to Canada, international students must complete a medical test, criminal record check, and biometrics in order to become eligible for stage two study permit approval.