Study in Canada in 2020: How will the coronavirus affect education in Canada?

The material will be useful primarily to those who have either just entered or are already studying in Canada. The coronavirus has seriously affected not only the healthcare system, but all aspects of our lives. Education was no exception. This article is on HabrΓ© because more and more often it is education that becomes the first step for the immigration of IT specialists. And while the US closes and complicates immigration, Canada is becoming more attractive and understandable, and arouses more and more interest for relocation.

Many students already felt the crisis on themselves: study switched to a distance format, the session and exams took on a new form of delivery, and many flights were canceled altogether, as a result of which hundreds of students remained far from their homeland.



If you are too lazy to read, you can just watch this video.





In this regard, I will tell you what features await students who want to study, or are already studying in Canada, as after the end of quarantine or during its continuation, the second or what else we have to wait for, a wave of restrictions and prohibitions?



Upcoming study in Canada - online only



Today, all educational institutions in Canada have already been divided into two groups:



  1. Those who are not ready to put up with new realities and have approved the transfer of the school year to a complete normalization of the situation;
  2. Those who have adapted to the current situation and are ready to conduct training online.


Thus, in the new school year, training will take place either remotely (which is typical for a large number of institutions), or it will not take place at all. Detailed information about conducting lectures and seminars in the upcoming semester can be found on the official websites of the educational institutions themselves.



To Study or Not - A Memo for Students



All foreign citizens who are already officially enrolled in the ranks of university or college students can begin distance learning from the beginning of the semester. Even if your educational institution has decided to postpone the semester to January, you should not worry. The presence of a document (in paper or electronic form) is a guarantee that you will be able to start studying immediately, as the university or college determines the date of the semester and the format of study.



In those situations, if you are not ready to start education (the online training format is not suitable or there is no corresponding equipment), you must directly submit a request to the educational institution. Thus, you can formalize the postponement of the beginning of training for the next semester. The main thing is to document everything. In no case should you sit back hoping that the missed online classes will be attributed to the "coronavirus".



Important: β€œBe sure to communicate with official representatives of educational institutions. There are cases when the institution postponed the semester (in January) due to an incomplete change in student status in Canada and returned all enrollments back. It will not be possible to obtain such information in thematic groups and chats. "


Visa processing: why is it so important?



Another important factor in studying in Canada in 2020 is visa. Despite distance learning, it must be open without fail. For those who do not have a visa or study permit, the risk of obtaining a one-year Post graduate work permit is increased (instead of a three-year one). This may happen due to non-enrollment of the September online training period upon further receipt of a work permit.



After quarantine to Canada!



For those who are not enthusiastic about online learning (from the room of their apartment at home), now there will be good news - as soon as the borders open, you can safely go to Canada and continue distance learning (if the educational form does not change) here. At the same time, in parallel with studies, you can earn extra money.



Important: β€œChanging the training format from standard to online does not affect the final cost, because in fact, the workload of university employees is not decreasing.
It will be more difficult for students who like the online format. After the opening of the border, continuing education from home remotely is possible only in a few cases:



  • The border is still closed;
  • From your country there are no flights to Canada;
  • You are not able to come to Canada, but this is not your fault.


If you just decide to study online, while saving money on flights and housing, then it is likely that months of distance learning will not be included in the work permit, which will risk not getting a Post graduate work permit at all.



The main thing is not to beat the panic



Yes, a number of changes are taking place in the educational process. But this does not mean that it is necessary to panic or in a hurry to pick up documents from universities. Studies will continue in any case: either from the new semester online, or from January in the standard form. It all depends on the opening of the border. Canada promises to provide access for foreign citizens in July. So far, we can only monitor the situation and monitor the latest information on educational innovations.



Important: "To avoid possible trouble getting a work permit, I recommend returning to Canada immediately after opening its borders - so that training passed is not counted as distance learning."
Now you need to constantly monitor changes that may be important for students studying abroad, now go to the official website of the educational institution you entered, and read the news section. If you have difficulty making a decision on training, contact your university representative as well as a competent immigration lawyer directly. In this way, you can reduce the risk of getting into trouble on your immigration route.



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