Canada Express Entry : Distant Learning Students now Eligible to Apply for PR

Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) have come up with good news for all the students who had completed their higher education via distance learning in the last two years. As per the news, students who studied online during the pandemic are eligible to get a PR in Canada under the Canadian Express Entry.

Earlier, students who were enrolled in distance learning and had done 50% of their course were not included under the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). But now, the IRCC announced a one-time measure keeping the COVID-19 pandemic in mind. In the new update, international students who completed their distance learning between March 2020 and August 2022 were declared to be eligible for Canadian educational credential points and applied for a PR under the Canadian Express Entry system. 

The new measure benefits all those who have acquired a Canadian degree, diploma, or certificate online during the eligibility period.

About CRS

For the unknown, the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) is a points-based system that scores a candidate’s profile on various parameters such as age, education, language, ability, work experience, etc., and on the basis of this count, they are ranked in the Express Entry pool. Those who score a high rank on the Express Entry pool receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) from IRCC to apply for a Permanent Residence (PR).

Candidates who completed their distance learning course in either of the ways mentioned below are eligible for CRS points.

• Online Mode
• Outside Canada
• Through Part-Time studies

Rules and Regulations to Claim an Education Credit

Candidates are required to update their Express Entry profile by August 2, 2022, to claim an education credit and answer the following questions.

• Time spent on an in-person study in order to receive the credential
• Duration in which the candidate completed their study in Canada
• Duration of full-time studying completed by a candidate

A candidate’s CRS score would drop if any of these questions remain unfilled, thereby missing a chance to receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residency.