Post-graduate work permit extension portal opens nearly four months after announcement

Calgary teenager caught in immigration limbo A Calgary teenager is trapped in a struggle to get his immigration papers that started in 2019. Timm Bruch reports.

Holders of expired or soon-to-be-expired post-graduate work permits (PGWP) can finally apply to extend their permits starting Tuesday, nearly four months after the federal government announced plans to offer these extensions.

Immigration Minister Sean Fraser said on Tuesday that PGWP holders whose permits have already expired, or will be expiring between Sept 20, 2021 and Oct. 2, 2022, will be able to apply online for an extension or a new permit lasting up to 18 months.

For those whose permits expire from Oct. 2 to Dec. 31, 2022, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) says these individuals won't need to do anything to get the 18-month extension unless they need to update their mailing address or passport validity.

IRCC also announced that it will send an email to PGWP holders with permits that have expired or will expire between Sept. 20, 2021 and Dec. 31, 2022, an email indicating that they are allowed to work in the interim while they apply for their extension or new permit.

PGWPs are offered to former international students who have graduated from a Canadian post-secondary institution. Normally, these permits are valid for up to three years and are not renewable. Many international graduates have relied on PGWPs to gain Canadian work experience as a stepping stone to eventually apply for permanent residence.

The federal government made initial announcement about the PGWP extensions back in April and promised that a "simplified, expeditious process" to apply for an extension would be made available "in the weeks ahead."

But current and former PGWP holders have had to wait nearly four months for the application portal to finally open. IRCC told CTVNews.ca in a statement it needed to make technological upgrades before it could proceed with permit extensions.

"IRCC needed to update our antiquated system that limited automatic renewals of the expired and expiring work permits," an IRCC spokesperson said.

"Updating our system has allowed IRCC to ensure our public policy is inclusive enough for all those with expiring or expired post-graduation work permits who may have been affected by the pause on Express Entry. This approach required IT system changes, which typically take some time to put in place."

The long-delayed opening of the application portal offers a sigh of relief for Burnaby, B.C.-based cybersecurity consultant Arun Kuchibhotla, whose PGWP was set to expire on Aug. 19.

While he counts himself lucky, as his employer was also willing to sponsor a reciprocal work permit in the event that his PGWP were to expire, he noted that many PGWP holders have had to stop working and leave the country after their permits expired.

"There was so much frustration," he told CTVNews.ca over the phone on Tuesday. "Every PGWP holder is supporting the Canadian economy."

Toronto resident Mikita Arlou will also finally be able to look for a job. His PGWP had already expired last December, and for eight months, he was burning through his savings, unable to work.

"Next month would be the last month for me," he told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview on Tuesday. "I would hit zero in my bank account next month. It was very tight."

Originally from Belarus, the stakes are even higher for Arlou as he would be at risk of imprisonment in his home country for speaking out against Belarus' involvement in Russia's invasion of Ukraine. He says he's frustrated that he and other PGWP holders had to wait this long to finally get the extension that they were promised months ago.

"We just received something that we should have received months ago and the mental health toll that this whole situation has taken -- it will not be reversed," Arlou said.

The government had previously offered an extension to PGWP holders between January 2021 to July 2021 for those whose permits had expired after January 2020, or were set to expire within four months.