COVID-19 Canadian immigration notices.
IRCC officials have shared several operational updates for Canadian study permits at the Canadian Bureau for International Education 2019 conference in Winnipeg. In the coming months these changes will be implemented and look like the following:
Biometrics Requirements
In December 2018, visa applicants filing from outside of Canada were required to complete biometrics as part of their application process. Applicants applying through a visa office in Canada have been exempt from this requirement. This exemption ended on December 3, 2019. If you are applying from within Canada for temporary or permanent residence, or to extend or renew your visitor visa, work or study permit, you need biometrics.
IRCC has entered into a partnership with Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) for the collection of biometrics and applicants will be required to provide their fingerprints and photo at one of the 58 designated Service Canada locations across Canada.
Mandatory Online Filing
As of June 2019, IRCC expanded its online visa application processes, and the following must now be submitted online:
Applications for extensions of temporary resident status made from within Canada
Applications for study or work permits made from within Canada
Applications for renewals of study or work permits made from within Canada
Applications for restoration of status made from within Canada
Exemptions to the online filing requirement remain in place for the following:
Post-graduation work permits for clients applying on a visitor record
Post-graduation work permit extensions, where the full work permit length was not previously issued due to medical or passport conditions
Post-doctoral fellows and award recipients
Medical residents and fellows
Pre-requisite Studies
Study permits will be issued for successful applicants for pre-requisite studies for the length of the student’s planned pre-requisite program plus one year.
IRCC has confirmed, students cannot work off-campus while completing the pre-requisite course.
Transition Between Levels of Study
Students transiting between levels, primary to secondary or on to post-secondary studies, are no longer required to apply for a new permit as long as their current study permit remains valid.
Students transiting in Quebec or moving to a study program in Quebec will still need to apply for a new Certificat d’acceptation du Quebec (CAQ). The CAQ is an additional study authorization required for international students who have been admitted for studies in Quebec.
IRCC also confirmed students changing from one Designated Learning Institution (DLI) to another in Canada do not need to obtain a new study permit. They are still required to inform IRCC of their new institution.