New IRCC Updates For International Students 2023

New announcements have been made by Immigration Minister Marc Miller for foreign students who are presently studying in Canada as well as those who will soon apply for study permits.

This contains the most anticipated statements from international students, as we previously reported on December 1, 2023, about the Post-Graduation employment Permit—PGWP Extension 2024 policy and the full-time employment policy for students in Canada.

International Student Program announced on October 27, 2023, including the creation of a new framework to reward learning institutions that provide high-quality services and assistance, including accommodation, to international students.

New IRCC Updates for International Students

• Doubling the financial requirements for upcoming study permit applicants
• Probable Cap on International Students coming after Fall 2024
• Full-Time Work Policy for International Students extended
• Distance Learning Measures Extended
• No PGWP Extension 2024

Upcoming study permit candidates will have to meet double the financial requirements.

To make sure that overseas students are financially equipped for life in Canada, the minister stated that, from January 1, 2024, the cost-of-living financial criterion for study visa applicants will be doubled.

Applicants for study permits to Canada typically use their $10,000 GIC (Guaranteed Investment Certificate) to demonstrate their cost of living.

With effect from January 1, 2024, this requirement will more than quadruple to $20,635 for any new study permit applicants.

Furthermore, whenever Statistics Canada modifies the low-income cut-off (LICO), this threshold will be revised annually.

LICO is the lowest income necessary to guarantee that a person does not have to spend more of their income than is typical on necessities.

This cost-of-living criterion has not altered for study visa applications since it was established at $10,000 for a single candidate in the early 2000s.demonstrate that, in addition to their first year's tuition and travel costs, they have $20,635, or 75% of LICO.

As a result, over time, the demand for money has not kept up with the rising cost of living, and many students find that their funds are insufficient when they get to Canada.

A lone applicant will need to demonstrate in 2024 that they have $20,635, or 75% of LICO, plus their first year's tuition and living expenses.

New applications for study permits received on or after January 1, 2024, shall be subject to this adjustment.

To assist prevent student vulnerability and exploitation, Canada doubled this.

In order to test creative strategies for supporting underrepresented cohorts of international students to continue their education in Canada, the IRCC will also start targeted pilots with partners the following year.

Cap likely to apply to foreign students starting in autumn 2024

The minister also declared that they anticipate that educational establishments will only take as many students as they can accommodate, including accommodation.

According to the minister, it is their duty to make sure visiting international students are taken care of while they are in our nation.

Additionally, he stated that in order to ensure that accredited educational institutions offer adequate and sufficient student support as part of the academic experience, they are prepared to take the necessary actions, such as restricting visas, prior to the September 2024 semester.

They will work with educational institutions, governments at the provincial and territorial levels, and other stakeholders in education to achieve this goal and make sure that foreign students are ready for success in Canada.

Full-Time Work Policy for International Students extended

The grace period for international students to work off-campus throughout the academic year (20 hours per week) will be extended till April 30, 2024.

Up until April 30, 2024, foreign students who are already in Canada and those who have applied for a study permit by December 7, 2023, will be permitted to work more than 20 hours a week off campus.

Future possibilities for this regulation will be investigated by IRCC, including raising the cap on the number of hours that overseas students can work off campus to 30 hours per week while classes are in session.

Distance Learning Measures Extended

The accommodating measure that permits foreign students to apply the amount of time they spend studying online towards the duration of a future post-graduation work permit—as long as it makes up less than 50% of the programme of study—will stay in effect for students who start a study programme before September 1, 2024.

On or after that date, students who start a study programme won't be affected by this policy.

The scope of distance learning facilitation measures was narrowed in September 2022 after they were initially implemented in response to travel restrictions during the epidemic in 2020.

In 2024, no PGWP Extension

A temporary policy was introduced three times to provide post-graduation work permit holders with an additional 18-month work permit once their initial work permit expired, in response to labour market challenges during the pandemic and post-pandemic recovery.

Under the PGWP extension 2023 policy, foreign nationals with post-graduation employment permits that expire before December 31, 2023, may still apply for an extension.

The minister did, however, clarify that this short-term measure would not be extended. Thus, in 2024, there won't be a PGWP extension policy.