Permanent residency policy changes lead to uncertain future for BC international students
“Slowly, the government is closing all the pathways.”
International students like Spatel Shanthan Reddy are worried about how they will find a pathway to permanent residency (PR) after the provincial government made changes to its BC Provincial Nominee Program (BC PNP).
“It is very difficult because we [are expecting] … that this pathway will bring us somewhere … And overnight, they changed all the policies expecting that everyone should follow,” Reddy told Daily Hive.
The province announced last week that changes include that students graduating with master’s degrees will need a “minimum one-year full-time job offer in a skilled occupation” to register. The minimum language proficiency level will also be increased.
Previously, students from designated programs could directly apply for BC PNP, providing a pathway to permanent residency.
#BCPNP #BCPNPProtest #changeBCPNPwithcare
We're gathering at the square before Vancouver Arts Gallery. pic.twitter.com/TuUEzPy3Hw— BCPNP Protest (@BcpnpP14311) March 23, 2024
However, Reddy said the province has now created an additional barrier for master’s program graduates (like him) from being eligible for the program.
Aside from the job market being challenging for all people in Canada, he explained that expecting students to secure a year of work in a skilled occupation is often difficult when Canadian experience is often required. Finding work in certain fields can be a long journey for international students, and not providing other support to help them secure such work is putting even more pressure on them, Reddy said.
“It’s always mentally tiring thinking all the possible outcomes, calculating every possible way to get PR and every time the government keeps changing whatever they want to introduce,” Reddy said.
If this path to PR does not work, Reddy said he will be forced to go back to school to change his profession or maybe move to another place in Canada to start the process of his PR again.
“After investing [about] $40,000 to $50,000 on education and two years of our time, and if we are not able to get anything — it is a major drawback in our lives,” Reddy said.
Updates expected to lead to better outcomes for nominees: BC
According to the province, its site said the updates were made “to create clearer pathways and better outcomes for international workers coming to BC.”
“They also ensure that prospective applicants are less susceptible to bad actors in the immigration system,” the province said.
Additionally, the province said that statistics show that newcomers with higher education and language skills “strengthen BC’s economy by being more likely to have success at work, earning a higher income and staying in jobs that BC needs to fill.”
Petition to reverse changes collects 2,200+ signatures
A petition that has collected over 2,200 signatures is calling on the province to revoke the mandate, consult students, or consider introducing a transition period or a grandfather clause for students enrolled in the program before the end of 2024.
According to the “sudden” changes not only disrupt the paths of both current and future international students as it “introduces uncertainty and stress among international students who have chosen British Columbia for their studies, attracted by the clear pathway to provincial nomination it once offered.”
Daily Hive has reached out to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs for comment on the petition but we were not able to receive a statement in time for the deadline. This article will be updated if a statement is received.
The BC PNP will be updated in January 2025.