Canada removes information misleading students on work permit from website

IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) has removed information from its website that misleads people applying for Post-Graduation Work Permit.

Until 22 November, the Help Centre of the federal government was advising people who had graduated recently that they would not be able to work in Canada after returning from a foreign country if the processing of their Post-Graduation Work Permit was still in process.

Since this issue had an impact on over 50,000 foreign students applying for a Post-Graduation Work Permit in this North American country every year, many students heeding the advice of the website have frequently deferred returning home or going abroad after graduation to ensure that they are abiding by the immigration law of Canada when they start doing a new job.

A section of the IRCC website, the Help Centre posts detailed responses to questions with regard to permanent residency, permits, visas and other immigration issues. The Help Centre is said to be the primary source of legal information for many workers, students, refugees and others who depend on it before deciding on their immigration.

The post, which was discouraging students, was the question they raised on their post-graduation work permit and if they could leave Canada and return with their student visa.

It was incorrect as it said that students could come back to Canada as a visitor, but they could not be employed until they get their post-graduation work permit. According to the Polestar Immigration Research, the misleading response also warned that students might have to answer to a border officer who could ask them to prove if they had sufficient money to take care of themselves in Canada.

This information no longer exists on the website.

On the revised page, it is stated that if IRCC was still processing their post-graduation work permit, they could gain entry as a visitor and could continue working without a work permit until a decision is taken on their application.

Henceforth, students will get a proper confirmation from the government stating that if they qualified for a Post-Graduation Work Permit and are applying for one, they could work after graduation while their application was being processed irrespective of the fact that they leave Canada or not.

If you are looking to study in Canada, get in touch with Y-Axis, a prominent consultancy for immigration services, to apply for a visa.