As of October 4, the federal government updated post-graduate work permit eligibility after current and former international students fought to reverse the changes announced. Join an online information session to get updates about the newest changes for current and former international students, and what’s next in the fight to build a migrant student movement.
Wednesday, October 9, 2024 6pm EST Via Zoom – Register below for the link
Ask your questions when you register and get answers by experts! Learn about how you can get involved to win fairness for international students.
The Migrant Workers Alliance for Change (MWAC) is an organization for and by migrants. We are uniting to win rights at work and immigration justice.
Our members are migrants only! This means you are currently or were recently in Canada without permanent resident status.
By becoming a member, you will learn more about your rights as a worker, have access to support, build your leadership skills and be part of our movement to ensure rights and justice for all. Members participate in monthly meetings, as well as online and in-person activities and become part of a supportive community of workers & friends.
Members believe in building our collective power and being in solidarity with workers speaking up for justice anywhere in the world. See below for the list of responsibilities and benefits of becoming a member!
Fill out the membership form to apply to be a member and we will be in touch! You are only a member after you attend a membership orientation.
Membership Form
Member Responsibilities
Attend regular meetings;
Receive regular communication and respond;
Participate in regular trainings, events, and activities;
Outreach to other workers, and invite them to be part of our movement; and
Represent the collective voice of migrants and Migrant Workers Alliance for Change.
Member Benefits
You join a community of migrant leaders fighting for change;
Get invited to special events and receive support from others in a similar situation;
Opportunities to speak to elected officials, decision-makers and the media;
Get support if you are facing problems or if you are being treated unfairly;
Get free workshops and training on topics such as workplace rights; immigration issues; taxes and Employment Insurance; accessing health care and social support systems; and collective organizing 101.
Every year, migrant farm and fishery workers face a grave injustice – tens of thousands of dollars in wages stolen by bad bosses. Trapped in a system of indentureship where speaking up means risking homelessness, poverty, deportation, and a ban from returning, workers rarely fight back. When they do – they are often denied their rights because they don’t have “evidence”.
Our Solution: Worker Rights Hand Book
We’re launching a Worker Rights Handbook and Video Series for migrants to know their rights, and gather evidence of exploitation.
Where your contribution will go
Legal Consultation: Ensuring workers have the best legal support when they speak up.
Video Development: Creating informative and empowering content,
Handbook Design: A comprehensive way to learn rights and track hours and wages.
Translation: Making our handbook available in many languages.
Distribution: Directly to migrants workers in farms and fish plants in rural communities across Canada.
Every dollar matters
$20,000: We will create and distribute the handbook with videos in English and Spanish to over 4,000 workers.
$40,000: We will add Thai, Vietnamese, Tagalog and Indigenous languages, and create additional videos.
$60,000: We will turn the handbook into an app that workers can use to gather evidence, learn their rights and connect with others.
To contribute
Via credit card: On this page
Interac: info@migrantworkersalliance.org
Cheque: Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, 720 Spadina Avenue, Suite 223, Toronto, ON M5S 2T9
This information is up to date as for June 27, 2023. Please check back for updates
What was announced? Temporary foreign workers with a “work permit” (see below for who may be excluded) that is valid on June 7, 2023, or temporary foreign workers with an expired work permit but who applied for an extension June 7, 2023, may be able to study for up to three years without a study permit.
What changed exactly? Until now, if you were on a work permit, you could only study for a course of up to 6 months. For courses longer than 6 months, you would have to apply for a study permit. Now you will be able to study without a study permit until your work permit expires.
Does this change apply to refugees, post-graduate work permit holders or humanitarian applicants with valid work permits? It is not clear at this time. Please fill in your information below and we will let you know when more information is provided by the federal government.
Can I study full-time? Yes, you are allowed to study full time.
But the work experience you get while studying full time cannot be used for future immigration applications under Express Entry programs. If you study part-time, you will be able to count the full time work for your Express Entry applications.
If you are applying under the HCCP or HSWP or for the Agri-Food Immigraiton Pilot, it is not clear if you can count work while you are studying full time (but you can count work while you are studying part time). Please fill in your information below and we will let you know when more information is provided by the federal government.
What is part-time study? Schools have different definitions. Usually anything less than 4 or 5 courses per semester is considered part-time. Check with the school before enrolling.
Can I start a full-year course if my work permit expires during the course? We don’t know if you can start a course in September for one year (until September 2024), if your work permit expires in the middle (for example in November 2023). Please fill in your information below and we will let you know when more information is provided by the federal government.
Can I get accreditation for high-school equivalency or one-year post-secondary education in this way without applying for a study permit? It is possible. However, you must make sure that the school you are applying to will provide you a certification that you can use. You must make sure that you choose part-time or full-time based on whether you need to count the work experience, and when your work permit expires.
Can I study online? Yes, you can study online.
For Post-Secondary education: The post-secondary education must be a “Designated Learning Institute”. Check here to see if the school is registered. Be careful, there are many “private colleges” that are not listed so make sure you check this list even if the school is large and you know other people that attend.
For high-school accreditation: Make sure it is a provincial organization. For example, in Ontario, click here.
Do I have to pay international tuition fees? Yes, you will have to pay international tuition fees, which is 3-4 times higher than domestic tuition fees.
What are the requirements to enroll at a college or university or to get a high school diploma? Every college and university has different requirements. You should read their websites carefully to apply. Only trust the information that you read yourself. Do not trust the advice of education agents without checking yourself.
Come and join other care workers like you in celebrating Mothers Day on Sunday, May 14 from 12 – 4pm at High Park for an afternoon filled with fun. Let share stories of struggles and make plans while sharing food, drinks and music. Bring your care worker friends. You can also bring your favorite food to share. We have a back-up location in case of rain. When: Sunday, May 14, Mother’s Day Location & Time: High Park @12 – 4 PM.
Bring your caregiver friends Snacks, Games, Conversations Let us know you will be there!
Are you a migrant care worker in Canada? We want to know what your current struggle is. We are gathering information to determine what care worker issues to voice out to the government.
Migrant Workers Alliance for Change (Formerly Caregivers Action Centre) is an organization that is led by current and former migrant care workers like you and other migrants workers in farms, healthcare, fisheries and migrant students. We will use this information to learn how to better support migrant care workers in their demands . Personal details you share is private and confidential and will not be shared to the government or employers.
This survey is only complete when you click “submit” at the bottom of the page. Please share this survey with your friends and other care workers. Call, text, or Whatsapp us if you have any questions at 416- 897-4388!
We have created a sketchbook of evocative drawings by over 100 children of migrants separated from their families for decades, and from those fearing family separation because of possible deportations. We urge you to look carefully at the drawings. Share it with your family, friends and colleagues. Imagine the love that went into each drawing. Imagine the birthdays, the funerals, the anniversaries missed. Imagine the immense change that you can help create when you support regularization for all undocumented people and permanent resident status for all migrants. A fair society is only possible with equal rights; and equal rights are only possible if everyone has the same immigration status. Add your name to our petition at www.StatusForAll.ca
Program details will be announced closer to April 30, 2023. Enter your information and questions below and we will email you updates.
On February 10, 2023, Minister Sean Fraser announced that the amount of work experience in Canada required for a caregiver to qualify for permanent residence is being reduced from 24 months to 12 months.
In addition, some spaces under the existing caregiver pathways have been reserved for caregivers who already have work experience in Canada from a previous work permit so that they are able to apply for permanent residence.
The change will be effective as of April 30, 2023, and will be retrospective for caregivers who have already applied.
Enter your contact information and questions below and we will be in touch.
We are Qalid, Kaif, Hamza and Jamal. We are four of at least 100 young Somali refugees who are in crisis. We have been ruthlessly stripped of our Canadian permanent residency and citizenship. But we have an opportunity right now! Prime Minister Trudeau is creating a program called “regularization” for undocumented people like us. We need your support to make sure we are included. Read our story below and enter your information to send it as an email to all federal Ministers.
We can’t lose our people. Abu won his case on December 31, just hours before he was set to be deported. But he doesn’t have permanent resident status yet. Let’s continue the fight for Abu, and the 1.7 million migrant farmworkers, careworkers, current and former international students, refugees and undocumented people in the country who are denied equal rights. Sign the petition for PR status for all: https://migrantrights.ca/take-action/permanent-resident-status/
Please scroll below the first paragraph and wait a moment for the petition to load.
My name is Abu Hena Mostofa Kamal. I’m a former international student and I am facing deportation on January 1st because I couldn’t pay my high tuition fees. Please support me by sending a message to Immigration Minister Sean Fraser and Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino. You can read more of my story below.
Abu’s story
I came to Canada when I was 19 years old from Bangladesh, as a migrant student to study in Thunder Bay, Ontario. I was not able to renew my study permit because of high international tuition fees. Tuition fees have increased over the pandemic, and when migrant students like me can’t pay, we get punished.
As a migrant student, I had to take jobs with bad working conditions, but couldn’t speak up because of my status. Employers didn’t pay me my wages and I got unfairly treated at work. I feel like we’re on a leash, like we are disposable human beings with an expired date.
I applied for permanent residency 18 months ago, but it still has not been processed. Immigration Canada approved me for temporary status, but I am still facing deportation.
Because of this crisis, I had to rely on a local church and I wasn’t sure where my next meal was coming from. I am now 23 years old, it feels like my life is on hold.
But I have not been quiet. On November 14, 2022, I drove 15 hours to go to Ottawa from Thunder Bay to meet with Immigration Minister Sean Fraser. I reminded the Minister that Prime Minister Trudeau promised to give status to all undocumented people. Prime Minister Trudeau must deliver on his promise, he must deliver a regularization program without caps and without exclusions, and status for all, without delay.
Please add your name to my petition calling for a stop to my deportation, and full and permanent immigration status for all migrant and undocumented people.
