• 2020/5/1 8:33
• 留学霸
• view:428

COVID-19 is raging around the world. In the face of the outbreak of the epidemic and the spread of the community, the Canadian government has implemented a series of measures, including the introduction of multiple economic bailout emergency plans and response measures, hoping to help Canada ’s domestic life and work due to the epidemic. People of all walks of life have gone through the difficulties, and even the international students have taken good care of them. Let's take a look at the epidemic benefits granted to international students by the Federal and Ontario Government.

Federal Government

1) Relax the working hours restrictions for international students 

On April 22, the Canadian Immigration Bureau announced that under the current epidemic, the restrictions on working hours for international students will be relaxed on the same day, allowing international students to work more than 20 hours per week during class, provided that their work is an essential service or function ), Such as health care, important infrastructure, or related to the supply of food or other important items. This temporary change will be implemented until August 31.

Under normal circumstances, the working rules for international students are that they can only work for no more than 20 hours during a professional course. Now this special measure is equivalent to that students can work full-time during their professional courses, but the limitation is that they must serve functional enterprises.

2) Provide emergency assistance to people who have lost their income 

The Canadian government launched the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) to give workers who lost their monthly income due to COVID-19 $ 2,000 every four weeks for up to four months.

CERB applies to workers who meet all of the following conditions:

15 years of age living in Canada;

Stop working due to COVID-19, or be eligible for EI regular or sickness allowance;

No voluntary resignation;

Earn at least 5,000 yuan in 2019 or 12 months before the application date;

On April 15, the government announced the relaxation of application eligibility:

People who are $ 1,000 or less per month;

Seasonal workers who are exhausted from regular EI contributions but unable to perform regular seasonal work due to COVID-19;

Workers who are exhausted from regular EI contributions but unable to find work or return to work because of COVID-19;

CERB covers Canadians who have lost their jobs, become ill, segregate or care for people with COVID-19, and working parents who must take care of children who are sick or at home. CERB also applies to workers and people who are not eligible for employment insurance (EI) due to COVID-19. In addition, workers who are still working but have not received income due to work interruption due to COVID-19 are also eligible for CERB assistance. International students can also apply if they lose their jobs.

3) Measures for international students who are temporarily unable to leave Canada

If your student visa has not expired:

If you are a student visa holder, you can apply for an extension, but you must meet the renewal requirements for the student visa;

If you are no longer studying, you can apply to change your status to a visitor status, as long as your study visa has not expired;

In the above cases, please make sure to attach a letter when you apply to explain why you need to extend your stay in Canada. 

If your study permit has expired:

If your status has expired less than 90 days, you can apply to restore your status;

If your status has expired more than 90 days, you may also be eligible to apply for a temporary residence permit;

In the above cases, please make sure to attach an explanation letter when you apply, explaining that you need to extend the length of stay and the reason.

4) Allow international students to continue their studies and apply for a work permit after graduation if they change to online courses 

The Canadian government announced that if it is still in isolation or unable to attend classes at the start of the school, students can take classes online. This will not affect students applying for a work permit (PGWP) after graduation.

5) Let international students start classes in May and June to go online for overseas courses 

Affected by the epidemic, many international students cannot go to Canada to study as scheduled. The Canadian Immigration Agency (IRCC) released a message that if applicants will start classes in May and June this year but cannot return to Canada, they can go online in their own country and complete no more than 50% of the courses online. The new rules also apply to students who get their school visa for the first time and will start classes in May or June.

6) Allow holders of student visas issued before March 18 to enter Canada

International students who hold a valid student visa or have already obtained a student visa on or before March 18, 2020 are exempted from travel restrictions and can travel to Canada. Before boarding the plane, you need to pass the airline health check before you can board the plane. People with COVID-19 symptoms cannot enter Canada by air.

When an international student arrives in Canada, Customs will assess your health status before you leave the port of entry. Even if there are no symptoms, after arriving in Canada, international students must be quarantined for 14 days. This is mandatory. If there is no 14-day quarantine arrangement plan, international students will be sent to designated facilities for quarantine.

7) Postpone tax payment date

The Canadian government limits the deadline for paying personal income tax, which of course also includes international students. The deadline for submitting the income tax and benefit return will be postponed to June 1, 2020. The deadline to pay any payables for personal income tax and benefit returns for 2019 will also be extended from April 30, 2020 to September 1, 2020.

Ontario Government

8) Bear the cost of COVID-19 treatment

On March 20, the Ontario government announced that it would cancel the three-month waiting period when applying for a health card (OHIP).

For all people who applied for OHIP before March 19, 2020, and are currently in a three-month waiting period, the coverage date will begin on March 19.

The Ontario government also announced an extension of the effective use period of OHIP. If these documents are about to expire, there is no need to go to Service Ontario for replacement.

9) Extend the use period of driver's license  

International students who hold or prepare to take a driver's license are reminded that on March 17, the Ontario government will stop the spread of COVID-19, and all Drive Test centers and Travel Point locations will be closed on March 23, 2020 until further notice.

As a result of this decision, the Ontario government announced the extension of the effective use period of residents ’driver licenses and license plate stickers. If these documents are about to expire, there is no need to go to Service Ontario for replacement. Moreover, applicants who fail to take the test will not lose the test fee.

10) Electricity charges are calculated in non-peak hours throughout the day  

Since March 24, Ontario has suspended the implementation of time-of-use electricity pricing. From March 24 to May 7, 2020, residential, farm, and small business customers pay electricity 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, according to off-peak electricity rates, which is 10.1 cents per kWh. This is expected to save more than 20 yuan a month for ordinary families in Ontario, 150 yuan for small businesses, and more than 300 yuan for farms. This measure benefits international students who need to pay their own electricity bills, such as Condo or Apartment.