Mohanad Moetaz - 11 January, 2021
Here are the most important headlines from last week.
PGWP holders without work experience given second chance
International graduates who hold a Post-Graduate Work Permit (PGWP) and who were not able to meet Canadian work experience requirements, will now be able to apply for a new one.
The renewed work permits will be valid for 18 months. This will allow international graduates to remain in Canada and look for work. It will remain an open work permit. This means that holders can work for any employer.
In order to qualify, candidates must have a PGWP that expired on or after January 30, 2020, or a PGWP that expires in four months or less from the date of applications. Candidates must also be in Canada legally.
Parents and Grandparents 2020 lottery takes place
Canada held its 2020 Parents and Grandparents (PGP) lottery. Those who have been selected through the lottery will have 60 days to submit an application to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). However, IRCC will grant extensions to candidates unable to submit a full application due to coronavirus-related restrictions or delays.
IRCC began issuing invitations and will look to process up to 10,000 applications. In 2021, IRCC will open a new PGP window and process up to 30,000 applications.
Two Express Entry draws in two days
Canada's first Express Entry draw of the year issued 250 invitations to immigration candidates who had provincial nominations.
The minimum required Comprehensive Ranking Score (CRS) was 813. This score is relatively higher than recent draws because candidates who receive a provincial nomination are awarded an additional 600 CRS points.
A day later, Canada invited 4,750 Canadian Experience Class (CEC) candidates. These candidates needed a minimum CRS score of 461.
Express Entry is the system that the federal government uses to process permanent residence applications for the three main economic class immigration programs:
Complete our FREE Express Entry form to see if you are eligible to immigrate to Canada!
