Thousands of students, mostly Indians, attending the business management diploma program offered through Portage College and the Canadian Institute of Osteopathic Therapy in Calgary are in limbo as they cannot get post-graduation work permits from Canada.These graduates claimed that Canadian Immigration changed a rule and made non-credit programs ineligible for this work permit. But he had applied for a work permit before the change in rules. Meanwhile, IRCC said that no changes have been made to any rules. And some students of the same institute got work permits.“My father spent his entire life saving for me,” Jaspinder Kaur told CTV News. “After completing my two years of studies, I thought I would be able to work and gain some Canadian experience.”Mukul Rana said students who were refused are now struggling financially and mentally after losing the ability to work. Rana said, “This is a betrayal of thousands of international students; this is not just administrative, this is a humanitarian crisis.”Since the responsibility of the unfolding situation has been put on the college, the administration did not comment on it.Calgary immigration lawyer Laura-Anne Golding of Shori Law says her office has been contacted by dozens of affected students, and her office alone is dealing with 200 students.
What is a Post-Graduation Work Permit in Canada?
Post-Graduation Work Permit is an open work permit issued by the Canadian government that allows eligible international students to work in Canada after completing a qualifying program at a specified educational institution. Two factors are important: the qualifying program and the institution. This work permit provides international students with work experience in Canada and although it cannot be renewed, it provides a path to obtaining a Canadian PR.
Big social media debate over protest video
As Canadian media covered the student protests on Friday, social media users pointed out how there were only Punjabi students there, not international students. Some users argued in favor of the government refusing to grant them work permits, saying that students should leave after their studies, and that a two-year diploma should not guarantee a work permit after residency. Some highlighted the fraud committed by the college, which obtained all the money by promising work permits at the end of the course, despite knowing that they would not be eligible for work permits.