OTTAWA: A critical technical flaw in Canada’s immigration portal has thrown the futures of thousands of international students into jeopardy, leading to a surge in Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) rejections. Effective November 2024, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) made it mandatory for PGWP applicants to submit proof of English or French language proficiency. However, the federal government’s official application portal failed to include a designated upload slot or column for these certificates, leaving students deeply confused and causing inadvertent omissions.
The systemic glitch has had devastating real-world consequences for many graduates. Lucas Troni, a graduate of the prestigious University of British Columbia, was recently denied his work permit solely because his language test results were missing from the application. Despite being highly fluent in English, the portal’s ambiguous interface cost him his permit, forcing him to quit his job. Unfortunate stories like Troni’s have flooded social media platforms like Reddit, where hundreds of distraught international students are sharing similar experiences. Reports indicate that 945 PGWP applications were summarily rejected within a year due to this single technical oversight.
Acknowledging the design flaw, the Office of the Immigration Minister stated that corrective updates are underway to integrate a dedicated field for language test submissions into the digital portal. However, this promise brings little comfort to affected graduates. Students who retook the exams and resubmitted their certificates after the initial refusal report that immigration authorities are repeatedly rejecting their reapplications. Stranded by severe understaffing at the IRCC and rigid digital systems, hundreds of highly qualified international graduates are now facing the grim reality of losing their legal status, forcing them to leave their jobs and return to their home countries.
