Wetin dey happen for Canada immigration office don cause plenty wahala for international students and even health workers wey wan work for dia. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) don announce new changes wey go affect how foreign students and apprentices go get work permit.
For April 1, IRCC publish proposal wey dem say go make am easier for foreign nationals wey dey Canada to get study and work authorization. According to dem, dis change go reduce administrative burden and operational inefficiency wey dey make person get study permit and work permit separately for one educational program.
Wetin dis mean? If dem implement dis amendment, international students no go need to apply for co-op work permit again. Foreign apprentices wey meet certain conditions for Canada no go need study permit again. Plus, existing authorization to work without work permit go extend to international students wey dey wait for decision on dia study permit extension application. E go also apply to international graduates wey dey wait for decision on dia post-graduation work permit application.
IRCC talk say dem go also standardize international students’ work authorization during scheduled academic breaks. But make una no rush, dis changes still dey early stage. IRCC go consult with provinces, territories and key stakeholders about di regulatory changes for early spring.
If dem finally implement am, international students no go submit plenty applications when dem wan enroll for co-op programs. Di next step for international students wey finish dia program na to apply for Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP). While dem dey wait for decision on dia PGWP, IRCC say graduates fit work full-time if dem complete dia program, dem already dey eligible to work off campus during school, and dem apply before dia study permit expire.
Dis work authorization extension for people wey dey wait for study permit extensions or PGWP fit give more peace of mind. Currently, rules dey mandate international students wey enroll for co-op or work-integrated programs to get both study permit and separate co-op work permit. Foreign apprentices must also hold both study permit and work permit to finish dia training for Canada.
But dis new proposal come after federal government announce last June say international students for Canada in non-degree programs for 178 fields of study no go dey eligible for PGWP again. So di system dey change, and e dey affect people differently.
Meanwhile, one serious case don show how dis immigration wahala dey affect real people. Heather Gilchrist, Scottish-born midwife wey get ten years experience and Master’s degree in midwifery from Scotland, don leave Canada after IRCC deny her visa twice. She come Canada, re-certify through University of British Columbia (UBC) Internationally Educated Midwives Bridging Program, but her post-graduate visa application deny two times.
First time, dem deny am because of English exam wey Immigration Canada no ask for on dia application. Second time, IRCC claim say UBC program no lead to certificate and say too much of her studies complete online. UBC talk say dia program no be primarily online. Gilchrist provide certificate wey she get after completing di program.
Heather Gilchrist don dey work for Midwife Collective of Victoria for seven months before dem tell am to pack her bags. She get one-way ticket back to Scotland for April 4. IRCC refuse her post-graduate work permit, say di Internationally Educated Midwives Bridging Program qualification she get from UBC no be eligible program under IRCC rules. Dem cite say di program include three-month online portion. Di remaining nine-month program dey in person.
B.C. Premier David Eby talk say he want federal government revisit dis decision and prevent di “rom-com” situation of federal agents chasing Heather Gilchrist through airport before she board plane back to Scotland. Eby talk say, “We actually would love to have this woman working in British Columbia, delivering babies.”
Health Minister Josie Osborne talk say e seem “absurd” dat Gilchrist dey face challenges with permitting and immigration process. Osborne say she dey work with federal Health Minister Marjorie Michel and her office, as well as with B.C. Post-Secondary Education Minister Jessie Sunner, wey also be provincial minister responsible for immigration, to reach out to federal immigration minister office.
Gilchrist don appeal di latest IRCC decision. But Ilana Stanger-Ross, co-founder of The Midwives Collective in Victoria, talk say for Gilchrist, damage don dey done. “I think that when you’ve made that effort and had that taken away, she might be done with Canada, and that’s a real shame for families in Greater Victoria,” Stanger-Ross talk.
Di case show how immigration system dey affect health care workers. Midwives Association of B.C. talk say dem dey face critical shortage of maternity care providers, including midwives. Di loss of even one qualified provider go have real and immediate impact on midwifery care teams.
For students side, changes dey happen too. Federal policies don lead to 75 per cent drop in international student enrolment and $20-million funding gap at University of Regina, according to school president Jeff Keshen. He talk say, “It’s just been an exercise in frustration for di last two years.”
In January 2024, IRCC announce intake cap on international student permit applications. Federal government news release dat time talk say admission limits design to “stabilize” international student arrivals and alleviate “pressure on housing, health care and other services.”
But recent report from federal auditor talk to Keshen frustrations with di system, suggest e no fair to provinces like Saskatchewan. “Smaller provinces were disproportionately impacted by lower study permit approvals,” di report talk.
Changes to di system intend to bring down approvals for provinces wey experience “unsustainable” growth while boost approvals elsewhere. Saskatchewan actually project to see 10 per cent increase but instead face 63 per cent reduction.
Of di three major post-secondary institutions for Saskatchewan, University of Regina hit hardest. New international student numbers slump by nearly 76 per cent from 2,480 for 2023-24 academic year to 606 for 2025-26. Saskatchewan Polytechnic numbers show 68 per cent decline in new international enrolment. University of Saskatchewan record nearly 57 per cent drop.
Thevi Pather, associate vice-president of international at Sask Poly, talk say potential students worry about having dia applications rejected. Number of international applicants to Sask Poly drop from 10,408 for 2024-25 academic year to 5,529 for 2025-26. “It settles deeply in di psyche of students and then they start looking elsewhere,” Pather talk.
Sask Poly don cut back on staff, faculty and programs over di past year, continually citing financial shortfalls attributed to changing international student landscape. “There’s a point where that program can operate or not operate, and that’s what we find ourselves in right now,” Pather talk.
In addition to federal intake cap, other immigration policy changes dey play out. IRCC dey try crack down on falsified acceptance letters and don narrow eligibility for graduates of certain programs to get work permit after completion.
Keshen talk say e don become increasingly difficult to convince students say room dey for dem for Saskatchewan and di loss dey felt. “No institution can really cope financially without real costs to that institution,” Keshen talk.
So di whole immigration matter for Canada dey complex. From students to health workers, di system dey shift. Some changes dey aim to simplify process, but real-life cases like Heather Gilchrist show how bureaucratic errors fit cause serious disruption. For students side, caps dey affect enrolment and funding. Di balancing act continue.
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