IRCC's has only been talking about how online studies impact PGWP but never mentioned how it would impact Express Entry. Someone mentioned this on another thread but I decided to ignore it. Lo and behold! I checked their Twitter page to see replies to people with similar concerns, and they confirmed that studying more than 50% online due to COVID won't count as Canadian Education under Express Entry, hence no points. Mind you, they said the exact opposite earlier before (you will get points if you studied online due to COVID). These new replies suddenly started rolling out to multiple people at the end of today. This is now ultimate F*ckery from IRCC. Students are already really stressed in these uncertain times. We don't know when we'll travel. We don't know if rules regarding PGWP will change. We don't know if it makes sense to keep studying online. We don't know if we'll be approved eventually for a study permit. Should we keep working? Or should we focus on studies. The time difference. The horrible internet bandwidth. VACs in India remaining closed until the end of October; as if people should wait over 6 months, then spend one more in suspense studying online without any guarantee. Then they add this. Smh. We're exhausted. We really are.
IRCC: Studying More Than 50% Online Due to COVID Won't Fetch points for Express Entry
- Thread starter Raiton
- Start date
It's just if you study more than 50% from your country. You can defer your semester and complete other 50% right?
With respect to COVID, I've generally thought that people shouldn't assume IRCC will create exemptions until they are officially announced, not least because Canada is a rule-of-law country where the government must go through a legal process to change many things. In this case, the rules governing CRS scores are largely set out in Ministerial Instructions drawn up by IRCC and formally promulgated by Minister Mendicino.
Here we find:
Here we find:
So keep in mind the IRCC Twitter account is, at the moment, simply referring to the fact that the Ministerial Instructions currently in force require physical presence in Canada in order for an applicant to earn points for Canadian education. This doesn't necessarily mean IRCC staff aren't discussing the issue internally, and considering the other measures they have implemented I don't think it's unreasonable to hope that they might officially adjust this. But at the same time, they are under no obligation to do so. For now, it looks like my question from last weekend has been answered.
By the 50% studies, do they calculate based on duration or number of credits. Worried because I have lesser number of credits due to internship and lesser course load in the 2nd year.
Thank you buddy for clearing it out! I had raised a number of webforms since the past 2 months related to this very issue. I didn't share my fear earlier cause I was still unsure that Canada can do something like that. But they haven't accomodated.
Guess we can all relax a little bit now with the new border announcement. Unless of course our DLIs decide to screw us over by not complying. Lol. Hope this is the beginning of a series of fantastic news!
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/2020/10/government-introduces-new-border-measures-to-protect-canadian-public-health-provides-update-on-travel-restrictions.html?fbclid=IwAR3KMNld71AjHChGOzIU26nMtQD6y63g2o77vLImaOilu5KpnUPbQnB51WE
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/news/2020/10/government-introduces-new-border-measures-to-protect-canadian-public-health-provides-update-on-travel-restrictions.html?fbclid=IwAR3KMNld71AjHChGOzIU26nMtQD6y63g2o77vLImaOilu5KpnUPbQnB51WE
I’ve also wanted to know the answer to this question. Hopefully things’ll make more sense in the coming months especially with the new Oct 2 border rules
As Canadian I hope they will also request that those arriving get covid tests at least 72 hours before leaving. That means a huge influx of people while numbers skyrocket in some provinces.
Yes, being a non Canadian I agree that all of us who are coming from outside Canada should do a test before coming. It'll just foil the efforts that Canada has made to curb the virus if they don't do the testing.
@primaprime just my 2cents,
This is the requirement for Points for Canadian educational credential:
This is the requirement for Points for Canadian educational credential:
- (a) studied in Canada at a Canadian educational institution;
- (b) was enrolled in full-time study or training for at least eight months; and
- (c) was physically present in Canada for at least eight months.
I would hope you would be able to, but if you read further you will also find the current Ministerial Instructions exclude "credentials obtained in a study or training program in which distance learning amounted to more than half of the program" from eligibility for points for Canadian education.