Reserach based program info sharing during pandemic

[Kruschev]

Hi everyone,

For the pandemic, many universities in Canada chose to provide online courses for summer and even fall terms for course based programs. But for those research based programs like chemistry, the only possible choice would be deferring. I have accpeted the offer from Queen's University for 2020 fall. I have been monitoring the current status and news in Canada day by day. It looks like restrictions are being easing slowly in the past few days. I am hoping that it would be possible to attend school in fall. I don't know if it's realstic.

Is there anyone in the similar situation and willing to share some infomation on such matter?

Thank you.

 

[Simmidas]

It doesn't matter whether it is research based or course based, every International student wants to be physically in Canada for their studies otherwise it is a danger to their PGWP eligibility. Even though 50% of the program can be done online but still there is huge risk. What is the online content goes beyond 50%. Hence, every International student who would be investing great amount of money would like to be physically in Canada. We can only hope that things should settle down sonner. Even if Canada gives relaxation, student's home country should be in a position to support the travel.

 

[Kruschev]

It doesn't matter whether it is research based or course based, every International student wants to be physically in Canada for their studies otherwise it is a danger to their PGWP eligibility. Even though 50% of the program can be done online but still there is huge risk. What is the online content goes beyond 50%. Hence, every International student who would be investing great amount of money would like to be physically in Canada. We can only hope that things should settle down sonner. Even if Canada gives relaxation, student's home country should be in a position to support the travel.

Hi Simmidas,

Thank you for your reply. Indeed every international student is looking forward to physically attending universities in Canada.

 

[selvakk]

It doesn't matter whether it is research based or course based, every International student wants to be physically in Canada for their studies otherwise it is a danger to their PGWP eligibility. Even though 50% of the program can be done online but still there is huge risk. What is the online content goes beyond 50%. Hence, every International student who would be investing great amount of money would like to be physically in Canada. We can only hope that things should settle down sonner. Even if Canada gives relaxation, student's home country should be in a position to support the travel.

The government has made an exception to courses being made online due to COVID-19.

 

[Bs65]

The government has made an exception to courses being made online due to COVID-19.

Still only to a maximum of 50 percent online though to continue to qualify for a PGWP when course has completed and suspect still need to show why could only attend online due to travel constraints or a lockdown .Also guess the course would normally have had to normally have been a full time physical attendance in Canada course and not under normal circumstances an online course.

Just my interpretation that the COVID exception will still have some criteria to be met.

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/coronavirus-covid19/visitors-foreign-workers-students.html#restrictions-students

 

[Simmidas]

The government has made an exception to courses being made online due to COVID-19.

There is a condition to it. Only 50% of the program can be done online.
Imagine someone enrolled in a 1 year master's program and out which 5 months are only allowed to study online and that person cannot travel even after 5 months is not something one would like to encounter.

 

[selvakk]

Still only to a maximum of 50 percent online though to continue to qualify for a PGWP when course has completed and suspect still need to show why could only attend online due to travel constraints or a lockdown .Also guess the course would normally have had to normally have been a full time physical attendance in Canada course and not under normal circumstances an online course.

Just my interpretation that the COVID exception will still have some criteria to be met.

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/coronavirus-covid19/visitors-foreign-workers-students.html#restrictions-students

There is a condition to it. Only 50% of the program can be done online.
Imagine someone enrolled in a 1 year master's program and out which 5 months are only allowed to study online and that person cannot travel even after 5 months is not something one would like to encounter.

"If your in-class courses are being moved to an online-only format because of COVID-19, you’re still eligible for the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program (PGWPP). "

For example, you started in Winter 2020, and you have a mix of online and in class courses, and your college assumed that you would resume in class studies in Summer 2020, so that you would stay under the 50% of distance learning to be eligible for PGWP.

Now, your Summer 2020 classes are all online and you would cross that 50% distance learning(online classes in Canada are counted as distance learning). In this kind of case the Canadian Government has reassured students that if their classes have been change to all online because of College/University Closures due to COVID-19, then they don't have to worry, they are still eligible for PGWP, regardless.

The second part of the link addresses students who haven't started yet, if they were due to start in Summer 2020, they can start outside of Canada and upto 50% of their program if they cannot travel. Normally, I don't think you can do 50% distance outside Canada and be elegible for PGWP, this is why I assume they made this exemption.

Now, what about people doing 1 year in the fall 2020. To be honest, I don't think there will be lockdowns in any countries at that time, or the economy would collapse. Right now we are seeing staggered easing of lockdowns, with a "new normal'' by august. I don't think colleges are planning for a fall 2020 online only, but that is only something we can know if and when that happens.

 

[Kruschev]

"If your in-class courses are being moved to an online-only format because of COVID-19, you’re still eligible for the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program (PGWPP). "

For example, you started in Winter 2020, and you have a mix of online and in class courses, and your college assumed that you would resume in class studies in Summer 2020, so that you would stay under the 50% of distance learning to be eligible for PGWP.

Now, your Summer 2020 classes are all online and you would cross that 50% distance learning(online classes in Canada are counted as distance learning). In this kind of case the Canadian Government has reassured students that if their classes have been change to all online because of College/University Closures due to COVID-19, then they don't have to worry, they are still eligible for PGWP, regardless.

The second part of the link addresses students who haven't started yet, if they were due to start in Summer 2020, they can start outside of Canada and upto 50% of their program if they cannot travel. Normally, I don't think you can do 50% distance outside Canada and be elegible for PGWP, this is why I assume they made this exemption.

Now, what about people doing 1 year in the fall 2020. To be honest, I don't think there will be lockdowns in any countries at that time, or the economy would collapse. Right now we are seeing staggered easing of lockdowns, with a "new normal'' by august. I don't think colleges are planning for a fall 2020 online only, but that is only something we can know if and when that happens.

Hi Selvakk,

I agree with you that there will be no more major lockdowns in fall 2020 with the current data we can see in the news. I think we can at least expect and prepare for a in-person term at that time.

 

[Bs65]

The main point is that even if IRCC are making allowances for COVID that students should still not see it as a free pass for a PGWP. By that mean everyone should still ensure they keep good documentation from their institution that courses moved to online from x date through x date . That they actually continued with the online option meeting same conditions as far as possible as though being in physical attendance.

As for no lockdowns can never say never given current speculation implies possibility of a second wave fall/winter 2020/21. Unlikely any vaccine for the general population until sometime in 2021 but again all speculation assuming any vaccine gets developed

 

[Kruschev]

Hi Bs65,

You are right that we should always get prepared in this unprecedented time. Seriously prepraing the files is always right.

Another thing is, the unstable RNA structure of Covid-19 makes it even more difficult for the development of a vaccine. Considering the human's history agaist other virus disease such as small pox, HIV and etc, maybe we should get prepared that it's not possible (or necessary) to see a vaccine in the near future. The co-existance of covid-19 and us, as well as the lifting of lockknow might be the realism in the future. Therefore, I am quite optimistic that it would be possible to attend course in person. However, the inevitable next wave should alert us at least keep precuation such as social distancing in our daily life and pay for comprehensive health insurance plan while we continue working on our study. As individuals, I think that's the best we could do. Life goes on anyway.

 

[selvakk]

Of course, you have to keep records of everything, we will have to see what the experience of the winter 2020 cohort is in applying for PGWP. In my case personally we had all in class courses in the first semester and online only was just the last month of the second semester in Canada which falls under existing 50% rules.

Really it's going to be Summer 2020 who would have to document everything since it's an exception to regular rules, and it's certainly not a free pass to get PGWP. I think this only applies to people who were approved for a study permit for Summer 2020. So, no enterprising student could register for Summer 2020 programs now and get in to take advantage of studying in their home country.

The question of the next wave is not if but when, as countries relax lockdowns, there are bound to be more cases. There just has to be enough beds for patients or the economic situations is untenable to keep the lockdown any longer. SARS had a similar effect, and I remember my grandfather telling me when he was stuck in a hotel in Singapore where one person had got affected. This is just going to be another of those things that we are going to have to face, and a story we tell our grandkids.

 

[canuck78]

Some courses are very difficult to move online. Many should consider deferring until the fall for various reasons.