In order to alleviate the labour crisis, the Canadian government announced on Friday that the temporary easing of the 20-hour weekly cap on the number of hours that international students in Canada are allowed to work off-campus while classes are in session. Companies are having “unprecedented difficulty getting and retaining the personnel, ” according to the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

The IRCC is also starting a pilot programme to automate the processing of study permit extensions. The types of applications that are a part of this pilot programme have a consistently high approval percentage because all candidates have already been granted permission to study in Canada. The pilot will include a small number of applicants who might have their extended study visa processed much more rapidly in order to improve customer service.

What relaxations will assist Pakistani students if Canada eliminates the restriction on work hours?

• Up until the new regulations are put into effect, foreign students who are enrolled in a recognised Canadian university are permitted to work up to 20 hours a week off campus. However, they might put in more than 20 hours a week when scheduled breaks like the summer and winter break are included. Once the new regulations are in place, students may do that even if they are registered in an ongoing educational programme.
• Due to the higher cost of living in Canada, Pakistani and other international students will now be better able to support themselves financially.
• Since Indian students make up more than one-third of all international students studying in Canada, the decision made by the Canadian government will be especially beneficial to them.
• Extra hours will provide Pakistani students additional opportunities to earn money, which would assist them counterbalance the depreciation of the Pakistani Rupee.
• As a result of the Canadian government’s decision, more overseas students will have the chance to get the crucial work experience in Canada and a larger labour pool will be available to support the nation’s post-pandemic economic growth.
• Canadian Minister of Immigration Fraser claims that removing the cap will provide students more employment opportunities and lessen their exposure to “unethical businesses.” He asserted that the modification will provide students a better chance to avoid being a victim of a particular business to which they might be obligated. The minister also revealed the very first attempt to automate some study licence extension approvals in an effort to minimise the backlog.