Today is June 25, 2020 and the news for international students planning to study in Canada is good – if you are patient!
First, the main news is that Canada has mostly gotten through the difficult first wave of corona virus transmission. The last two big cities to struggle were Montreal and Toronto. Life is not “back to normal” – people are still behaving cautiously, mostly wearing masks and keeping social distance. But restaurants are now serving food on patios – something Canadians especially love when we have our long, warm summers.
Because Canada’s economy is highly modern, a very high percentage of employment can be completed at a distance and this is continuing. However, for those forms of employment that require attendance at offices, research centres, and so on, there is a gradual return but with new preparations to keep the risks low.
Canada’s study permit processing is now starting to give much more attention than from mid-March through May. Most Visa Application Centres (VACs) have reopened. Be sure to see our comprehensive update of June 5, 2020. You can find it here.
As Canadian society is largely a very cautious one, almost all universities and colleges are planning to offer courses on-line in September. They are strongly encouraging admitted students to apply for a study permit as soon as possible. Getting a study permit before classes also means all the distance learning study counts towards a work permit later.
Canada has still not opened up to foreign travellers though there are a few exceptions. Airlines and airports are running – but with low volume so far.
There is no information yet from educational institutions about January, 2021. It is just too early to see the progression of the virus through Canada. We will need more months to be able to evaluate thta.
To give an idea of how international students are welcomed in Canada, for students already in Canada, if they earned over $5,000 in 2019, they are getting $2,000 a month from the Canadian government to help them during this difficult time when our economy has been very much slowed down. Normally, international and Canadian students who are studying a Bachelor degree or first diploma finish first year in April. Then they work from May to August as many hours as they can get. So, this is a big help to them during this difficult period. This help has been extended all the way to August, 2020.
For more information, do write us at blog@cuac.ca