Open Work permit of Canada after PGWP and TR to PR Pathway Applicants

Open Work permit of Canada after PGWP and TR to PR Pathway Applicants:

Canada has recently announced important news about its open work permit in Canada after PGWP. Immigrants with expired or expiring Post-Graduation Work Permits will be able to get new access to open work permits. This update was shared on 2 August 2022 along with the work permit access being issued to Temporary Residence to Permanent Residence (TR to PR) Pathway candidates. This means it includes the applications that are yet to be finalized. This news will be proved beneficial for thousands of foreign nationals living in Canada who are eligible for work permits. It’s a necessary step in order to continue work in Canada for a period of time. Candidates with Post-Graduation Work Permits (PGWPs) that expired or will be between September 20, 2021, to December 31, 2022, are allowed to apply for an open work permit in Canada after PGWP for an additional 18 months. Those who are currently working in Canada can temporarily work until a new permit is issued or extended.

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How the New Measure Will Affect Applicants?

There are five possible scenarios of how the new measure will affect applicants if you are among the refugees, immigrants, or have Citizenship in Canada. Let’s discuss them briefly.

Scenario 1: Candidates whose PGWP will expire between October 2, 2022, to December 31, 2022. No need to change the address and information.

If the candidate’s address is up to date, and the passport is valid until April 2024 they don’t need to do anything. In case you receive an email from IRCC to confirm your mailing address, just don’t respond. These were the instructions provided by the IRCC. They will send an updated work permit by mid-October to the given mailing address.

Scenario 2: Candidates whose PGWP will expire between October 2, 2022, to December 31, 2022. Need to change the address and information.

If the candidate’s address or passport validity is not up to date and needs to be changed, you will receive an email from IRCC to confirm your mailing address. Here, you just have to follow the instructions and let the officials know the information needs an update. If a candidate’s passport validity is not valid for the work permit to be extended by 18 months, an initial email will not be sent, but instead, a separate email will be sent in September.

Candidates in need of updating their mailing or passport information will be given further instructions via email in September. All the processes will be done online. They will be only given 2 weeks time to update all the relevant information, after that, an updated work permit will be mailed by mid-November. So the candidates are advised to check their passport validity and if its expiry date is before April 2, 2024, then apply to extend it.

Scenario 3: Candidates whose PGWP will expire between October 2, 2022, to December 31, 2022. Unable to change the address or information.

The candidates who are unable to change their address or passport validity will have to apply to extend their work permit. In this case, a work permit can be extended to the passport expiration date or wait and apply until they have a renewed passport.

Scenario 4: Candidates whose PGWP will expire between October 2, 2022, to December 31, 2022. IRCC didn’t contact them.

Unfortunately, candidates who were not contacted by IRCC via email by mid-September will not be eligible to have their work permit extended through an open work permit in Canada after PGWP, such as their file will need further review due to some added information. They are advised to contact the IRCC and still apply to extend their work permit.

Scenario 5: Candidates whose PGWP will expire or expired from September 20, 2021, to October 1, 2022.

These candidates will apply for a new work permit. Applications are open from August 2, 2022. The same goes for the candidates in Canada whose temporary status has also expired, they should apply to restore their status. Under these special circumstances, they will be allowed to restore their status, even if it’s expired for 90 days.

Candidates can also apply from abroad as they are eligible if they have left Canada and returned after being approved. Keep in mind that the candidates are not eligible for this work permit as they cannot apply at a port of entry. If we talk about the last date of submitting public policy work permit applications, they should be submitted online by December 31, 2022.

Can Candidates Still Work While their Applications are Processed?

Candidates whose PGWP will expire or expired from September 20, 2021, to December 31, 2022, will receive an email from IRCC stating that they are allowed to work while all the process is done. Candidates are allowed to attach this email to their PGWP as proof that they are authorized to work. This provisional measure will be in effect until May 31, 2023. Candidates who had valid temporary resident visas and are currently outside Canada are allowed to return and be authorized to work. However, only the temporary work authorization email notice is not enough, by itself, and cannot be used to return to Canada without a visa.

TR to PR Pathway Applicant’s Work Permits

If we discuss the candidates for the TR to PR Pathway applicant’s work permits, they are yet to be finalized, and meanwhile, they can apply for an open work permit. Candidates who have applied for an open work permit will be provided one with an end date of December 31, 2024, just make sure that their passport is valid that long. About 2,500 TR to PR lucky applicants were already issued open work permits through this effort with an end date of December 31, 2022. If everything goes right these individuals will receive an email stating that they may be issued work permits updated with longer validity dates. Applicants who have a passport with an expert date before December 31, 2024, will not be going to receive an email and they are not eligible to change the length of their current work permit under open work permit in Canada after PGWP. Worry not as they will be still eligible to apply and obtain a longer work permit, either by getting a work permit to match the day their passport expires or by applying after they have updated their passport information.