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Completed your Canadian program fully online with no in-person classes? How the 50% in-person question may affect your points

Canada • Provincial Nominee Program • immigration 0 views
By VisaBuddies Communityvia community — compiled from public visa forums

Step-by-Step

Some profile questions ask whether at least 50% of your Canadian study program was completed through in-person learning — a tricky question for students whose program was fully online.

  1. Recognize this question has been genuinely unclear from IRCC's side. At the time of this thread, community members noted that IRCC had not clearly clarified how to answer it for programs delivered entirely online.

  2. Physical presence in Canada during your studies appears to be the key factor, not the delivery format. If your classes were online but you were physically living in Canada throughout the program (online being used as the available alternative to in-person classes), that combination is generally understood not to be penalized the same way as studying online from outside Canada.

  3. Answer honestly based on your actual circumstances, and keep proof of your physical presence in Canada (lease, utility bills, entry/exit records) during the study period in case you need to explain your answer later.

  4. Check for updated IRCC guidance before submitting, since rules around online/hybrid study delivery have been revised more than once since the pandemic.


This reflects community understanding at the time this question was asked, not confirmed IRCC policy — verify current guidance before answering.

Dos, Don'ts & Tips

  • Tip: Being physically present in Canada during your online study period appears to matter more than the fact that classes were delivered online.
  • Don't: Don't assume 100% online classes automatically means 'No' hurts you if you were living in Canada throughout the program — this was unresolved per IRCC at the time.
  • Tip: Keep proof of your physical presence in Canada (lease, bills, travel records) during your studies in case you need to justify your answer.

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