Categories of IEC 

This program offers 3 types of categories: – 

1. Working Holiday 

This category is for you if you do not have a job offer. You will be given an open work permit, allowing you to work for any employer in Canada. You might be asked to undergo a medical examination for some jobs. 

2. Young Professionals 

If you already have a valid job offer from a Canadian employer and intend to stay in the same location, then this category is for you. This is an employer-specific work permit. Your job must be in TEER category 0, 1, 2, or 3. TEER 4 may qualify if it is related to your field. 

Your employer is also expected to comply with the labour laws of the province you plan to work in. 

3. International Co-op (Internship) 

This category is meant for you if you are a student at a university or college and have an internship offer or work placement by an employer in Canada. You will receive an employer-specific work permit and will work under the same employer during your stay. 

Eligibility for the IEC program 

• To participate, you must be the passport holder of a country that has signed a Youth Mobility Agreement with Canada 
• If you are not a citizen of a partner country, you might still be eligible. An IEC-recognized organization (RO) will help you with the process of application 
• Valid Passport 
• You must be between the age of 18-35 (it can differ according to citizenship) 
• Around CAD 2,500 as proof of funds 
• Health Insurance for your entire stay 
• Departure ticket 
• For unpaid internship, proof of additional funds to cover your expenses during your stay  
• Your dependents are not eligible for the IEC program, but they can apply for visitor, travel, or work visas 

Ready to live your Canadian Dream? 

If you want to know your eligibility and apply for International Experience Canada, Brace Law can provide you with expert guidance and assistance. Our team of experts can help you navigate through the process successfully. 

To begin, contact Brace Law at 905-815-6555 or email staff@bracelaw.ca. We offer consultations and services in multiple languages, including English, Italian, Albanian, Arabic, Punjabi, Farsi, Hindi, Malayalam and Urdu. Trust Brace Law for reliable legal support! 

The post Your Guide To International Experience Canada appeared first on Bracelaw.

Why is the cap implemented? 

On January 22, 2024, Marc Miller, the Honourable Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship, announced that the Government of Canada has implemented a cap on international students. The decision to implement a two-year cap on study permit applications has been made to protect the interests of international students. Several institutions in Canada have made a significant amount of profit by increasing their intake, leading to students landing in Canada without proper support.  

The cap will facilitate a substantial reduction in provinces that has seen an unsustainable growth of international students in the past few years. The Canadian government plans to stabilize the recent growth over the next two years. As a part of this plan, they aim to reduce the number of approved study permit applications by approximately 35% (around 360,000) compared to 2023. The cap on the number of study permits will be distributed among designated learning institutions (DLI) within each province or territory.  

As of January 22, 2024, you will now require an attestation letter while submitting your study permit application to IRCC from the province or territory you plan to stay in during your studies. 

Who will not be affected?  

You will not be affected if you are:  

• On a study permit 
• Pursuing a Master’s or a Doctoral degree 
• In elementary and secondary education 
• Renewing your study permit 

How will the cap affect your post-graduation work permit? 

The government has also changed the guidelines for PGWP (Post Graduation Work Permit): 

• Starting May 15, 2024, international students enrolled in public-private colleges will no longer be eligible for PGWP. So, if you start your program of studies under the public-private licensing arrangement on or after May 15, 2024, you will not be given a work permit upon graduation. You will have to obtain a work permit separately to be allowed to stay in Canada after your studies. 

• If you are pursuing a master’s program in Canada, you will soon have the option to apply for a 3-year work permit. Currently, the length of a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) is determined by the length of the program, which can be a challenge for master’s students. This upcoming change will enable you to gain work experience in Canada for a longer period, which may help you qualify for permanent residency in Canada. 

• An open work permit will only be issued to your spouse if you are an international student enrolled in a master’s or a doctorate course. If you are an international student enrolled in an undergraduate or other college program, your spouses are no longer eligible for an open work permit. 

Want to know if you’re still eligible for PGWP? 

If you want to learn more about the new guidelines, Brace Law can provide you with expert guidance and assistance. Our team of experienced professionals can help you navigate through the process.  

To get started, contact Brace Law at 905-815-6555 or email staff@bracelaw.ca. We offer consultations and services in multiple languages, including English, Italian, Albanian, Arabic, Russian, Punjabi, Farsi, Hindi, Malayalam and Urdu. Trust Brace Law for reliable legal support! 

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Temporary off-campus work measures will not be renewed 

Marc Miller, the Immigration Minister on April 29, 2024, announced the new guidelines on off-campus work policy for international students. The temporary work policy that allowed students to work more than 20 hours per week off campus will not be extended after April 30, 2024. This comes as a surprise to many as Canada was considering a 30-hour-per-week off-campus work policy for international students. 

International Students on their scheduled academic break will be allowed to work an unlimited number of hours, however, those attending summer classes must comply with the 20-hours-per-week rule. 

Balancing Work and Studies 

The decision to limit off-campus work hours is supported by research showing that working too many hours while studying can hinder the academic performance of students.  

Marc Miller, the Immigration Minister stated “As international students arrive in Canada; we want them to be prepared for life here and have the support they need to succeed. However, first and foremost, people coming to Canada as students must be here to study, not work. We will continue working to protect the integrity of our student program.” 

Starting this fall international students will be allowed to work up to 24 hours per week while their classes are in session. which would likely be sufficient combined with the increased cost of living requirement for international students announced back in December 2023 (a single study permit applicant must show additional funds of CAD $20,635 along with their tuition fees). 

Other Developments 

IRCC will also continue to develop the new Recognized Institution Framework to recognize post-secondary institutions that demonstrate excellence in the selection, support, and retention of international students. 

Want to Study in Canada? 

If you are looking to study in Canada and learn about the new guidelines, Brace Law can provide you with expert guidance and assistance. Our team of experts can help you navigate through the process successfully. 

To begin, contact Brace Law at 905-815-6555 or email staff@bracelaw.ca. We offer consultations and services in multiple languages, including English, Italian, Albanian, Arabic, Russian, Punjabi, Farsi, Hindi, Malayalam and Urdu. Trust Brace Law for reliable legal support! 

The post New guidelines on off-campus work policy for international students   appeared first on Bracelaw.

Coverage of the Regulations

Last year, there were 807,750 international students at all levels of study in Canada, according to the Canadian Bureau for International Education. Indian students represented 40% of the total international enrollment, while Chinese students represented 12%. International students comprised 30% of overall enrollment at Ontario’s public colleges in 2020, with tuition payments totalling $1.7 billion and accounting for 68% of total tuition fee revenue.

New Rules to Safeguard Foreign Students

To protect international students studying in Canada, publicly financed universities in Ontario have adopted new international education best practices. Concerns regarding the maltreatment of international students, especially the dissemination of false information by unscrupulous recruitment agencies, prompted the establishment of these regulations.

The new laws create minimum industry standards and stricter criteria for enforcement. They require universities to verify that their marketing materials comply with the law and are not deceptive, which includes not guaranteeing academic, immigration, or job outcomes. In addition, universities are required to terminate contracts with any education agent engaged in “serious, deliberate, or ongoing activity that is untrue, misleading, deceptive, or in violation of the law.”

Private Universities Included

The new requirements involve both publicly financed and privately funded colleges. Public-Private College Partnerships (PPP) include taxpayer-funded institutions providing curricula to private career colleges for a charge; these colleges then employ their professors to conduct academic programmes. As of June 2021, eleven of Ontario’s twenty-four public universities partnered with twelve for-profit private career colleges, enrolling over 24,000 international students, up from 14,698 in 2018. Several of these partnerships did not adhere to enrollment criteria, and their quality assurance and student assistance operations could be improved, according to the provincial audit of 2021.

Colleges Ontario has published a twelve-page set of standards of practice for international education, which all twenty-four members of the organisation are expected to implement by June 2024. Seneca College is not a signatory since it intends to issue a comparable statement for both its domestic and international students.

Normalization of Procedure

According to Linda Franklin, President and Chief Executive Officer of Colleges Ontario, it is essential to standardise the laws throughout all Ontario public institutions so that overseas students know what to anticipate. “Some universities perform some tasks more effectively or differently than others.” Franklin stated that it would be vital to standardise this so that foreign students would have a very clear understanding of the offerings in Ontario regardless of which door they decided to enter.

Safeguarding the Reputation of Ontario

The laws are intended to preserve the reputation of Ontario as a safe, inviting, and great educational destination for overseas students. Franklin underlined the significance of preserving Ontario’s image as an outstanding site for overseas students. Franklin stated, “Our reputation in the world and the continuation of our standing as a safe, inviting magnificent nation…” There are already numerous incentives for international students to select Canada, and we would never want to jeopardise any of them by claiming that we are inferior to any of them.

If you have been taken advantage of by unscrupulous recruitment agencies, we can help you. Book a consultation with Brace Law to help explore available options and navigate this process together. With Brace Law, you can Consider It Handled.

We serve our clients in English, Italian, Albanian, Arabic, Punjabi, Farsi, Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil and Urdu with offices in Oakville and Vaughan. Call us at 905-815-6555 or email admin@bracelaw.ca. We can help! We Offer Consultations & Meetings by Phone & Virtually. Affordable Fees.

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Until recently, the intake of some skilled immigration programs were suspended due to backlogs caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This has left many skilled international students, who would have otherwise been able to apply for permanent residence in Canada, without status and with expired work permits. The government’s new policy will allow these students and recent graduates to continue to work and remain in Canada despite the challenging circumstances they have faced over the pandemic. An estimated 93 000 people have been affected and are potentially eligible for the special policy, with work permits that have expired over the given period of time.

The immigration department will begin to email individuals whose work permits have expired, or will be expiring, between September 20, 2021, and December 31, 2022. The department will provide them with proof that they are eligible to work in Canada, which they can then show to prospective employers. The new program should alleviate some of the pressure felt by those students who were unsure whether they would be able to continue to stay and work in Canada due to their immigration status. 

Students whose work permits have expired or are expiring before October 1, 2022, must apply online for a new work permit. Those who are still in Canada but with an expired status must apply both to restore their status and to obtain a new work permit at the same time. Usually, one can only restore their status within 90 days of its expiration date, but the special measures will temporarily lift this restriction. 

By implementing this strategy alongside others, the immigration department is beginning to make a dent in the application backlog caused by the pandemic. They are hopeful that processing times will be back to normal by the end of the year. If you are an international student who is awaiting news on your immigration status, contact the immigration lawyers at Brace Law. Call 905-815-6555 and Consider It Handled.  

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