New Canada PR route for 90,000 overseas students and vital workers

Alisha Khan
[Published 11 Nov, 2021 | 05:45 PM]
About Author - 9 min read

A new Canada Permanent Residence Visa option for vital workers and overseas students has been launched recently. This is through a fresh Open Work Permit which is similar to the BOWP - Bridging Open Work Permit. 

The latest Open Work Permit allows an applicant whose Work Visa is due to expire in 4 months to file an application for a fresh Open Work Permit. It will permit them to continue to work during the processing of their Canada Permanent Residence Visa. 

The fresh Canada immigration pathway has been receiving applications from 26 July 2021. To become eligible to apply for this one-time Canada Open Work Visa, applicants have to demonstrate that they:

• Have been successful in filing an application through one of the streams of the fresh PR pathway.
• Possess a lawful Work Visa or must have been authorized for working without it at the time of submission of their PR Visa application. 
• Possess a lawful Work Visa that is due to expire in the upcoming four months.
• Have a maintained status or provisional resident status or be qualified for the restoration of their status at the time of submission of their Open Work Visa application Are present in Canada at the time of submission of their Open Work Visa application.
• Were working in any occupation at the time of submission of their PR Visa application.
• Fulfilled the language criteria of the stream through which they filed an application at the time of submission of their PR Visa application.

A brief review of the new Canada Permanent Residence Visa option

90,000 plus provisional residents in Canada now have the chance to obtain the status of Permanent Residents in 2023. This is through the 6 new Canada immigration routes launched on 6th May. The new immigration routes are aimed at vital workers, French speakers, and overseas students. These latest immigration initiatives are aimed at supporting more provisional residents to obtain Permanent Residence in Canada. 

The Immigration Minister of Canada made an announcement of these latest programs on 14th April. Applications will be accepted through these programs till 5th November 2021 or exhaustion of the program’s quota. 

Remarkably, French-speaking applicants are free from the quota ceiling. The latest routes have been termed provisional public policies. This implies that they will not be made a permanent feature of the immigration framework. However, extension possibilities are always present. 

 Applicants can include their partner or spouse and dependent kids in the application. This offers the chance to obtain PR status for the family.

Eligibility for Essential Workers

Vital workers crucial for managing the pandemic in Canada are qualified to submit an application through 2 streams: 

• Provisional Workers in forty Healthcare vocation, the quota is 20,000
• Provisional Workers in other 95 occupations in essential services, the quota is 30,000 

French-speaking candidates have their extra streams with identical criteria. The only exception is the French language criteria and the absence of any quota.

Work experience in Canada

Applicants must possess a minim of 1-year full-time work experience in Canada. Alternatively, equivalent part-time work experience/ 1, 560 hours also qualifies. It must have been obtained in Canada 3 years before submission of the application. 

The work experience in Canada must be in any one or multiple qualified healthcare jobs for the stream for Healthcare workers. It must be in one or multiple qualified non-healthcare jobs for the stream for non-Healthcare workers. Experience in healthcare jobs can also be blended for application through this stream.

Present employment in Canada

Applicants have to be working in Canada while filing the application. The current work can be in any occupation and not necessarily in an occupation present in the list of eligible occupations. Moreover, it is not specified by the government guidelines that the current work must be full-time. This implies that part-time work will also be adequate.

Language ability

Applicants have to provide results from an authorized test for language in either French or English. The results must be on par with CLB - Canadian Language Benchmark Level 4. 

Additional criteria

Applicants have to fulfill the following requirements apart from the above-specified criteria: 

• Reside in Canada through valid status or be qualified for restoration for status.
• Be present in Canada while filing the application and its approval.
• Intend to live outside Quebec province.
• Be medically and criminally admissible to Canada. 

Eligibility for Overseas Graduates

The streams for overseas graduates are for those who have graduated from Post-secondary schools in Canada. Applicants with French language skills are exempted from the quota. They can submit applications at any time during the application window from 6th May to 5th November 2021. 

Qualifying educational credential in Canada

Applicants must have completed a study program at a qualified institution in Canada not before January 2017 for applying through the overseas graduates’ stream. The following categories of educational credentials are only eligible: 

• A degree received after completing a program of a minimum duration of 8 months.
• An attestation, certificate, diploma, or degree received after completing a program of any length and that results in getting a job in a skilled trade. 

Another attestation/certificate/diploma that fulfills the following conditions:

• For attestations/certificates/diplomas, every study program must be of a minimum duration of 8 months and the total length of the credential/s must be on par with a credential of 2-year (minimum 16 months). 
• For AVS and DVS, every study program must be of a minimum duration of 900 hours, and together the study program must be of a minimum duration of 1800 hours.

Present employment in Canada

Applicants have to be working in Canada while filing the application having a lawful permit or work authorization. The current work can be in any occupation and not necessarily in an occupation present in the list of eligible occupations. Moreover, it is not specified by the government guidelines that the current work must be full-time. This implies that part-time work will also be adequate. 

Language ability

Applicants have to provide results from an authorized test for language in either French or English. The results must be on par with CLB - Canadian Language Benchmark Level 5. 

It must be noted here that French-speaking applicants are exempted from the quotas. Language test results must be offered by all applicants irrespective of their qualifying educational credential being for a program in English. 

Additional criteria

Applicants have to fulfill the following requirements apart from the above-specified criteria: 

• Reside in Canada through valid status or be qualified for restoration for status.
• Be present in Canada while filing the application and its approval.
• Intend to live outside Quebec province. 
• Be medically and criminally admissible to Canada. 

Are you a critical worker or overseas student seeking to obtain a Canada Permanent Residence Visa through the new immigration pathways? Nationwide Visas is the premier Immigration and Visa Consultancy that has facilitated successful PR visa application processing for thousands of applicants. If you wish to discuss your Canadian immigration plan or find out the most suitable immigration pathway for you, contact us now!