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Drop Without Penalty & Full-time Status for PGWP

T

Totomato

Newbie
Apr 27, 2020
3
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Hi everyone, I am an international student at University of Victoria, and I am planning to apply for Postgraduate Work Permit after graduation. As you know because of the pandemic and shift onto distance education, many universities have allowed pass-fail and drop-without-penalty options (i.e. dropping the course after getting an F so that it doesn't appear on official transcript).

This term I unfortunately got an F in one of my courses, and am thinking about dropping the course. Since I will need to maintain full-time status (which means 6 units per semester) during all of my semesters in order to get PGWP, would dropping to below this limit impact the decision of the visa officer?

I sent an email to the International Student Services of the university and they haven't replied. I am very worried. I wonder if anyone else is in a similar situation, or have any insights about what I should do. Thank you!
 
If you've been full time during your entire academic career and dropping the failed course makes you part-time in your last semester, you have nothing to worry about.

You can have your last semester part-time as long as all other semesters are full-time.
 
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kloppity said:
If you've been full time during your entire academic career and dropping the failed course makes you part-time in your last semester, you have nothing to worry about.

You can have your last semester part-time as long as all other semesters are full-time.
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Thank you. It is not my last semester. I am still far from graduation.
 
That might be a problem then, but provided you remain full-time for the rest of your stay and write an LOE explaining why this was an earlier than required PT you can try.
 
kloppity said:
That might be a problem then, but provided you remain full-time for the rest of your stay and write an LOE explaining why this was an earlier than required PT you can try.
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Thank you. I was hoping that because of COVID-19 this would count as a special circumstance. I would really need to make a decision before any official document comes out.
 
Totomato said:
Thank you. I was hoping that because of COVID-19 this would count as a special circumstance. I would really need to make a decision before any official document comes out.
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You didn't fail the course because of COVID-19, so why would you expect that it is a "special circumstance"?

If you drop the course and go below the required units for full-time, then you are part-time. A part-time semester in the middle of a program makes you ineligible for a PGWP. You could beg your case and possibly be approved but if refused, it would be justified.

If getting a PGWP is a priority, leave the F on your record so that you remain full-time.
 
How are people allowed to drop a course after the course is finished? Maybe times have changed since I went to school.
 
canuck78 said:
How are people allowed to drop a course after the course is finished? Maybe times have changed since I went to school.
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It is a special measure for students coping with Covid-induced stress. Although from my knowledge, they only allowed that option before the exams, so students didn't have to drop the course but are assigned a pass/failed grade depending on their performance.

Apparently, it only makes sense if the student eventually passes the course somehow.
 
Keep the F and repeat it again in another semester. I don't think the officers care how bad the transcript looks as long as you meet the basic eligibility for PGWP.
-being full time apart from regular scheduled breaks
-work up to the allowed times
I think they are lenient about courses transiting online.
 
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