Canada has always been a popular destination among students who wish to pursue higher education. The recent improvements in immigration policies are going to be highly valuable in restoring the financial stability of Canadians as well as the Indian students studying there.
On 7 October, 2022, Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship announced the temporary lifting of the 20-hour-per-week cap on the number of hours a post-secondary student is eligible to work off-campus. In addition, they have decided to welcome immigrants at a rate of 1% of Canada's population. This will in turn help the country in battling economic, labour, and demographic challenges.
As per recent data, there are more than 6,00,000 international students in Canada, out of which 2,40,000 are from India. This means that despite the continuous depreciation of the Indian rupee against the Canadian dollar, the students will be able to secure themselves financially. They can now work more part-time jobs and use their dollars to meet their everyday expenses. Moreover, they will no longer be dependent on the limited resources arranged by their parents in India.
Withdrawal of this work limit will allow the students to not only get the needed job experience for their future but also have the freedom to pick the most fruitful employment opportunity.
The government has also announced a pilot project to automate and expedite the approval of study permit extension applications in order to improve the overall client experience and welcome more skilled, talented, and ambitious students from various parts of the world.
By removing the 20-hour work ban, easing immigration policies, and introducing a set of benefits for international students, Canada is all set to curb labour shortage and provide a welcoming, nurturing environment to every student.