Canada’s immigration authority has made changes to its visa rules. This update affects people who apply for more than one visa or permit.
Thousands of international students and workers may be impacted by this move from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). India is also affected by this change.
What has changed?
Earlier, if someone’s first visa was about to expire, they could apply for a second visa or permit to extend their stay. During this time, their legal status was protected under what is called “maintained status.”
Now, that protection is no longer available. Zubin Morris, a partner at Little & Co, told Business Standard that this change could impact international students and workers, especially those from India.
He explained that as per IRCC’s new rule, if the first application gets rejected, the second application will not be considered, even if it was submitted earlier.
Also, the option to apply for a work or study permit at the border has been removed.
This ends the practice of “flagpoling,” where people would leave Canada briefly and re-enter to speed up their permit renewal.
What should Indian students do?
Due to these changes, there is now very little room for mistakes. According to Business Standard, students whose permits are close to expiring must submit their first extension application very carefully.
Any mistake or missing document could force them to leave Canada. Similarly, workers could lose their jobs if they make an error in their application.
Right now, many major countries are tightening visa rules, especially for international students.
Students are facing issues like delayed visa interviews in the US, limits on visa numbers in the UK, and stricter entry rules in Australia.
