October 5, 2020—Ottawa—The Honourable Marco E. L. Mendicino, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, today announced details for the opening of the 2020 Parents and Grandparents (PGP) Program, building further on the government’s commitment to reuniting families. Over a 3-week period, from 12 p.m. EDT on October 13, 2020, to 12 p.m. EST on November…
Learning institutions whose COVID-19 readiness plans have been approved by their provincial or territorial government will soon be able to welcome more international students back to their schools. Amended travel restrictions will take effect on October 20, allowing international students to enter Canada if their designated learning institution (DLI) has an approved COVID-19 readiness…
October 2, 2020—Ottawa—Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister Marco E. L. Mendicino, Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair and Health Minister Patty Hajdu today announced that, in addition to the border restrictions that remain in place, the Government of Canada is further strengthening the public health presence at the border and enhancing quarantine monitoring.…
September 24, 2020—Ottawa—Today, the Honourable Marco E. L. Mendicino, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, is announcing action to speed up spousal application processing and help families build their lives together in Canada. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has increased the number of decision makers on spousal applications in Canada by 66%, to…
In all situations, supporting documents that are in a language other than English or French must be accompanied by an official translation of the original document, or of a certified copy of the original document in English or French. That translation must be: of the original document, or of the certified copy of the original…
Change intended to benefit employers who are still facing difficulties finding workers Visitors who are currently in Canada and have a valid job offer will be able to apply for an employer-specific work permit and, if approved, receive the permit without having to leave the country, thanks to a new public policy announced today by…
Many prospective international students who would like to study in Canada this fall are facing uncertainty due to travel restrictions. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada recognizes this, and will continue to ensure that Canada’s immigration programs are flexible to respond to these uncertainties with 3 new measures on post-graduation work permit eligibility for students beginning…
This section contains policy, procedures and guidance used by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada staff. It is posted on the Department’s website as a courtesy to stakeholders. These instructions provide guidance for issuing study permits during the COVID-19 restrictions. Due to the closures and limited operations of some visa application centres (VACs) and U.S. Application…
Ottawa, May 14, 2020—International education represents a significant economic benefit to Canada, with international students contributing $21.6 billion to Canada’s GDP and supporting nearly 170,000 jobs in 2018. International students are also often excellent candidates to apply to remain in Canada permanently, with nearly 54,000 former students becoming permanent residents in Canada in…
Process launched today allows temporary workers to get back to work quickly May 12, 2020—Ottawa—With the COVID-19 pandemic impacting almost every sector in Canada, temporary foreign workers and their employers are confronted by new challenges in a rapidly changing job market. Many temporary workers with employer-specific work permits lost their jobs this spring.…