The Canadian government announced that foreign nationals can no longer apply for a post-graduation work permit at the border, effective immediately.

Key Points:

• Foreign nationals will now need to apply for a post-graduation work permit online before their study permit expires after arriving in Canada under the standard process.
• Eligible graduating students can work full-time while they wait for approval on a post-graduation work permit and will receive an automated letter that can be shown to employers after submitting their application.
• A study permit expires 90 days after the expected completion of an international student’s study program.

Additional Information: The new measure is designed to reduce “flagpoling,” which occurs when temporary residents bypass applying for a work or study permit online by leaving the country and then immediately re-entering to receive same-day immigration services.

According to officials, the new policy specifically targets students who leave Canada and re-enter within 24 hours to receive immigration services, including the same day post-graduation work permit. Flagpoling uses significant resources at the border and has been known to cause delays and slow processing of goods. Post-graduation work permit applicants represented about one-fifth of the foreign nationals who attempted to flagpole from March 1, 2023, to Feb. 29, 2024.

BAL Analysis: The Canadian government is taking measures to encourage applicants to apply in Canada in order to improve processing times and increase fairness among applicants.