### Obtain Canadian degree criteria ###

[trang.ng.pharm]

Hi all,
According to the criteria on canada.ca, students can obtain Canadian degrees if they are physically present in Canada and enroll in a more than 8-month program (plus some other criteria). However, on Twitter, they say the credentials will not be awarded if distance learning amounts to more than half of the program. This post strikes students who have already started their studies since Fall 2020 last year until now. My program is 2 years, but I am now stuck in my country due to extensive lockdown, I can still satisfy the 8 months physically present criterion but cannot fulfill the 50% criterion...
Could anyone confirm for me which one is true? Since some schools offer remote/online courses even for now, how can we obtain the degree with the criteria mentioned on Twitter? If that is the correct criterion, why don't they state it on the official website Canada.ca?
Please help!
Thanks.

 

[wonderbly]

Hi all,
According to the criteria on canada.ca, students can obtain Canadian degrees if they are physically present in Canada and enroll in a more than 8-month program (plus some other criteria). However, on Twitter, they say the credentials will not be awarded if distance learning amounts to more than half of the program. This post strikes students who have already started their studies since Fall 2020 last year until now. My program is 2 years, but I am now stuck in my country due to extensive lockdown, I can still satisfy the 8 months physically present criterion but cannot fulfill the 50% criterion...
Could anyone confirm for me which one is true? Since some schools offer remote/online courses even for now, how can we obtain the degree with the criteria mentioned on Twitter? If that is the correct criterion, why don't they state it on the official website Canada.ca?
Please help!
Thanks.

I have not seen any such post from IRCC saying you will not get your degree if bulk of studies was distance learning. Share a link/screenshot of the Twitter post.

 

[trang.ng.pharm]

Hi, here are the screenshots of the post on Twitter and on Canada.ca. I am so worried now since I always update info on Canada.ca only, this Twitter post is a disaster...

 

[VishnuJ2796]

Hi. Till now IRCC has never officially said anything how online study due to pandemic restrictions would affect PR process in future. All they say is that it won't affect a student's PGWP. They don't say anything about CRS or PR. The info on the screen shot you posted held true even before the pandemic.

 

[trang.ng.pharm]

Hi. Till now IRCC has never officially said anything how online study due to pandemic restrictions would affect PR process in future. All they say is that it won't affect a student's PGWP. They don't say anything about CRS or PR. The info on the screenshot you posted held true even before the pandemic.

Yes, exactly what I know, the 50% benchmark was the old policy of PGWP (after that they changed to 100% online can still have the full PGWP). I have never seen this info on Canada.ca, don't know why IRCC on Twitter wrote this. Thanks for your comment. I feel less worried now.

 

[wonderbly]

Hi, here are the screenshots of the post on Twitter and on Canada.ca. I am so worried now since I always update info on Canada.ca only, this Twitter post is a disaster...

This does not say you will not receive your degree, it says you will not receive CRS points on express entry for PR. Surely, you know the difference between your degree and CRS points?

Also, this has been IRCC's position from the very beginning - you do not get CRS points for your remote learning but you will still get your degree and PGWP.

 

[wonderbly]

Hi. Till now IRCC has never officially said anything how online study due to pandemic restrictions would affect PR process in future. All they say is that it won't affect a student's PGWP. They don't say anything about CRS or PR. The info on the screen shot you posted held true even before the pandemic.

Not true. They have repeatedly say you will not get CRS points if bulk of studies is done remotely.

 

[VishnuJ2796]

Not true. They have repeatedly say you will not get CRS points if bulk of studies is done remotely.

So it means students who studied online from their country because they couldn't travel due to covid travel restrictions have to forget Canadian PR or atleast the points they would get for a Canadian degree? Right. Just to make things clear. That's what you say?

 

[arhue]

So it means students who studied online from their country because they couldn't travel due to covid travel restrictions have to forget Canadian PR or atleast the points they would get for a Canadian degree? Right. Just to make things clear. That's what you say?

The way I interpret this is that you would have to forfeit points for Canadian education(I think it is 15 pts) that you would get if you don't spend more than 8 months in Canada. That is why I went little early, but it shouldn't matter much as you can get points using experience on PGWP or PNP. I don't think the distance learning clause applies as these are regular programs that are online due to pandemic.

 

[VishnuJ2796]

The way I interpret this is that you would have to forfeit points for Canadian education(I think it is 15 pts) that you would get if you don't spend more than 8 months in Canada. That is why I went little early, but it shouldn't matter much as you can get points using experience on PGWP or PNP. I don't think the distance learning clause applies as these are regular programs that are online due to pandemic.

Right. Agree with the last line. Doesn't have anything to do with me, making it clear for others. I must say I was lucky to step inside Canada one semester before the covid restrictions started.

 

[wonderbly]

So it means students who studied online from their country because they couldn't travel due to covid travel restrictions have to forget Canadian PR or atleast the points they would get for a Canadian degree? Right. Just to make things clear. That's what you say?

Yes, the CRS points you get for canadian education. Unfair, I know.

You still get to be eligible for CEC once you earn your 1 year canadian experience in the correct NOC job though (post pgwp).

 

[trang.ng.pharm]

This does not say you will not receive your degree, it says you will not receive CRS points on express entry for PR. Surely, you know the difference between your degree and CRS points?

Also, this has been IRCC's position from the very beginning - you do not get CRS points for your remote learning but you will still get your degree and PGWP.

Hello, according to the criteria on their website, they have not mentioned anything about studying online when it comes to CRS points - a Canadian degree. So I don't understand why you say this is their point from the beginning. From the beginning, there was no such criterion about studying remotely, and for now, the website is still the same, they do not add this criterion. So I am not sure why Twitter said that. If studying remotely is more than half the program and you cannot get CRS points, they should add that criterion in the express entry.

 

[wonderbly]

Hello, according to the criteria on their website, they have not mentioned anything about studying online when it comes to CRS points - a Canadian degree. So I don't understand why you say this is their point from the beginning. From the beginning, there was no such criterion about studying remotely, and for now, the website is still the same, they do not add this criterion. So I am not sure why Twitter said that. If studying remotely is more than half the program and you cannot get CRS points, they should add that criterion in the express entry.

The twitter post you shared is from last year. IRCC on twitter have been responding to same queries since early 2020, saying the same thing in the post you shared. We have had discussions on this forum for over a year, regarding IRCC's twitter posts concerning CRS points and remote learning.

The fact that you just came to know about it doesn't mean it's new info, is all I'm saying.