The Canadian government announced that foreign nationals can no longer apply for a post-graduation work permit at the border, effective immediately.

Key Points:

  • Foreign nationals will now need to apply for a post-graduation work permit online before their study permit expires after arriving in Canada under the standard process.
  • Eligible graduating students can work full-time while they wait for approval on a post-graduation work permit and will receive an automated letter that can be shown to employers after submitting their application.
  • A study permit expires 90 days after the expected completion of an international student’s study program.

Additional Information: The new measure is designed to reduce “flagpoling,” which occurs when temporary residents bypass applying for a work or study permit online by leaving the country and then immediately re-entering to receive same-day immigration services.

According to officials, the new policy specifically targets students who leave Canada and re-enter within 24 hours to receive immigration services, including the same day post-graduation work permit. Flagpoling uses significant resources at the border and has been known to cause delays and slow processing of goods. Post-graduation work permit applicants represented about one-fifth of the foreign nationals who attempted to flagpole from March 1, 2023, to Feb. 29, 2024.

BAL Analysis: The Canadian government is taking measures to encourage applicants to apply in Canada in order to improve processing times and increase fairness among applicants.

This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice Group.

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