OTTAWA — The Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, has announced a new temporary measure that removes the limit on the length of the study programs that temporary foreign workers can enrol in without a study permit.
Starting immediately, foreign workers will have the opportunity to seek additional training and education that can help them in their careers. This measure will also help foreign workers expand their future job prospects and increase their opportunities to transition to permanent residence. Prior to this change, foreign workers could study while working, but only in programs of six months or less. For longer programs, they had to apply for a separate study permit. This has been a barrier for those who wish to improve their education and receive more training, including those needing to upskill or validate their foreign credentials through certain programs.
With this new three-year temporary measure, foreign workers can study full time or part time while their work permits are valid or until the expiration of the policy, with no restrictions on the length of the program.
This temporary measure applies to those who hold a valid work permit or who have submitted an application to renew their work permit on or before June 7, 2023, and are authorized to work. If a foreign worker wishes to study longer than the duration of their work permit, they still need to apply for a study permit.
“Temporary foreign workers are incredibly important for the Canadian economy, and many have aspirations that go far beyond the work that initially brings them to Canada,” says Fraser. “With this policy in place, we hope to empower foreign nationals to improve their skills in order to meet their career goals and achieve their dreams, while providing a future potential source of talent for our labour market.”
