Hi everyone - I'm an international student about to enter my final year of undergrad at Queen's, and I'm seeking some clarity regarding the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) eligibility rules, specifically concerning online courses. I've been getting conflicting information and would greatly appreciate any insights or experiences you can share.
My Academic Timeline:
First Year (2020-2021) Completed a full-time courseload online due to COVID-19 (half in my home country and half in Canada); fully-remote learning was the only option at that time.
Second Year (2021-2022) Completed one full-time Fall semester in-person and took a leave of absence for the Winter semester due to medical reasons (approved by the school, under 150 days).
Third and Fourth Years (2022-2024) Completed both years' full-time courseloads in-person, on campus.
Upcoming Fifth Year (2024-2025) Planning to stay for an extra year to make up for the credits missed during my medical leave. I intend to complete my remaining elective credits by enrolling in the school's online courses while residing in Canada, maintaining full-time student status for both semesters. I'm doing this mainly to seek out part-time internship opportunities in Toronto as as my school is really far from the city.
My Concern:
If I understand correctly, the the temporary policy allowing time spent studying online from within Canada to count towards the length of the PGWP ends on August 31, 2024. Here’s the wording from the IRCC website:
“Distance learning from inside Canada: If your courses were moved online due to the pandemic, the time you spend studying online from within Canada until August 31, 2024, still counts toward the length of your PGWP. However, it’s highly recommended that you attend in-class options when offered. The temporary policy change for in-Canada students studying online ends on August 31, 2024.”
"Lock-in date on or after September 1, 2024: New
You must complete at least 50% of your program in class inside Canada.
The time spent studying outside of Canada will be deducted from the length of your PGWP."
My questions are
Does the rule requiring at least 50% of the program to be completed in class inside Canada apply to the entirety of my program (which I already satisfied) or the courses taken after Sep 1, 2024?
If I enroll in full-time, fully online courses for the upcoming school year (starting September 2024), will this year of study reduce the length of my PGWP? In other words, will my PGWP duration be shortened by one year due to taking online courses after the August 31, 2024 cutoff?
Hope this all made sense. Any detailed explanations or references to official guidelines would be extremely helpful. Thank you in advance for your assistance!
My Academic Timeline:
First Year (2020-2021) Completed a full-time courseload online due to COVID-19 (half in my home country and half in Canada); fully-remote learning was the only option at that time.
Second Year (2021-2022) Completed one full-time Fall semester in-person and took a leave of absence for the Winter semester due to medical reasons (approved by the school, under 150 days).
Third and Fourth Years (2022-2024) Completed both years' full-time courseloads in-person, on campus.
Upcoming Fifth Year (2024-2025) Planning to stay for an extra year to make up for the credits missed during my medical leave. I intend to complete my remaining elective credits by enrolling in the school's online courses while residing in Canada, maintaining full-time student status for both semesters. I'm doing this mainly to seek out part-time internship opportunities in Toronto as as my school is really far from the city.
My Concern:
If I understand correctly, the the temporary policy allowing time spent studying online from within Canada to count towards the length of the PGWP ends on August 31, 2024. Here’s the wording from the IRCC website:
“Distance learning from inside Canada: If your courses were moved online due to the pandemic, the time you spend studying online from within Canada until August 31, 2024, still counts toward the length of your PGWP. However, it’s highly recommended that you attend in-class options when offered. The temporary policy change for in-Canada students studying online ends on August 31, 2024.”
"Lock-in date on or after September 1, 2024: New
You must complete at least 50% of your program in class inside Canada.
The time spent studying outside of Canada will be deducted from the length of your PGWP."
My questions are
Does the rule requiring at least 50% of the program to be completed in class inside Canada apply to the entirety of my program (which I already satisfied) or the courses taken after Sep 1, 2024?
If I enroll in full-time, fully online courses for the upcoming school year (starting September 2024), will this year of study reduce the length of my PGWP? In other words, will my PGWP duration be shortened by one year due to taking online courses after the August 31, 2024 cutoff?
Hope this all made sense. Any detailed explanations or references to official guidelines would be extremely helpful. Thank you in advance for your assistance!