International graduates struggle to find work
Leading up to her graduation from Dalhousie University, Fatou Secka had her eyes on the prize: to find a job in her field and get one step closer to permanent residency in Canada.
“I was very hopeful of getting into the work field, getting more practical experience, applying myself ... and being part of an organization,” she told The Chronicle Herald.
“I was really looking forward to that.” But after receiving a master's degree in civil engineering at the university in May, the international graduate from The Gambia has been job hunting nearly everyday to no avail.
“(A few days) ago, my alarm went off and I felt so anxious and so nervous and worried that I would be unable to find work,” she said.
PANDEMIC FALLOUT
Due to the economic fallout of COVID-19, thousands of international graduates in Canada like Secka are unable to find work and meet the requirements of their post-graduate work permits (PGWPS), according to Migrant Students United, an advocacy group for international students and graduates.
International graduates are eligible for time-restricted PGWPS that allow them to remain in Canada post-graduation and gain work experience here. If they complete a minimum of 12 to 24 months of work in certain skilled positions, they can then qualify for permanent residency.
While Secka has a three-year PGWP, some international graduates have shorter permits that are either set to expire before year's end or have already expired, which has left them in a state of limbo, said Sarom Rho, an organizer for Migrant Students United.
“With the second wave of COVID19 related job losses spiking all over Canada and the economic shutdown and economic impact of this, most migrant student workers don't have access to these jobs,” said Rho.
“Even in the best of times, these jobs are difficult to get as migrant workers, but in the middle of a pandemic, when there's a global economic shutdown, it's nearly impossible.”
The federal government has allowed people with work, study and visitor permits that expired before Jan. 30 to “restore their status” until the end of the year if they stayed in Canada. But PGWPS are currently non-renewable, said Rho, so international graduates are unable to do so.
PETITIONS FILED
Migrant Students United delivered two petitions with thousands of signatures to federal Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino's office this week, calling for changes to Canadian immigration rules surrounding PGWPS.
They've asked the federal government to make PGWPS renewable so former students can complete “realistic requirements” for permanent residency in the COVID-19 job market and to lower the threshold for gaining permanent residency by lowering points requirements and counting work that is part-time, in-school or in any occupation.
Rho said international graduates have made multiple sacrifices and poured thousands of dollars into education in Canada only to be faced with COVID-19 setbacks at no fault of their own.
During this “unprecedented crisis,” they've also contributed to Canada by working in the essential industries “that sustain our economy and our communities,” Rho added, but none of that work is counted toward their PGWPS.
“You'll see that it's migrant students who are working overnight stocking shelves in grocery stores, handling packages in warehouses, working in food service and retail and delivery,” she said.
John Paul Patrick Corpus is one of those international graduates.
Corpus completed a diploma in business intelligence analytics from Nova Scotia Community College and received his PGWP, which is valid for one year, in July.
He works as a sales associate at the Atlantic Superstore and as a data analyst with the federal government.
Although his work with the federal government counts toward his
PGWP, Corpus said only 30 hours of the 37.5 hours he puts in each week are counted. This means he has to work straight through to July 2021, which is when his PGWP expires, in order to achieve the 1,560 hours required to satisfy the requirements of the permit, he said.
“It's really pushed my work permit up to the very end,” said Corpus.
Corpus is concerned that he may lose his job with the federal government during the pandemic.
“I try to work as many hours as I can because you'll never know if one day, all of a sudden, you lose your job and they don't issue a permit or visa,” he said.