Canada changing work permit rules for international students

Canada is changing rules surrounding work permit eligibility for international students once again.

A new update allows more international students in Canada to meet the eligibility criteria for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP).

Previously, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced that the eligibility criteria for PGWPs were being changed. These changes, effective Nov. 1, 2024, meant that graduating students applying for a work permit would only be eligible if they graduated from a list of approved programs.

Now, IRCC has changed those requirements.

In a recent update, the IRCC stated that graduates from university bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs no longer have to meet the field-of-study requirement. Removing these restrictions makes it easier for students to apply for a work permit upon graduating.

These changes significantly impact graduates applying for a work permit after Nov. 1, 2024.

In an email statement, an IRCC representative stated, "Graduates from university bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs will remain eligible for a PGWP of up to three years, as studies show that these graduates are more likely to acquire transferable knowledge and skills and adapt to changing economic circumstances over the long term."

Despite these changes, those applying for a PGWP must meet the language requirements of CLB 5 for college graduates and CLB 7 for university graduates if they apply for their PGWP after Nov. 1, 2024. The new language requirements also apply to graduates who applied for a study permit extension before Nov. 1, 2024.

IRCC also noted that despite these updates to the PGWP, graduates can still access work permits under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) or the International Mobility Program (IMP).

Colleges Ontario, representing the province's 24 public colleges, previously criticized IRCC's stricter field-of-study requirements. Now, it says it "welcomes" the update to the PGWP's eligibility criteria.

"International students in these programs will no longer be subject to the PGWP field of study requirement and will now be eligible for a PGWP upon graduation," Colleges Ontario stated. 

"We appreciate that the government has listened to this collective advocacy from Ontario and across Canada."

In 2024, the federal government announced that it would only issue 437,000 study permits in 2025, compared to 485,000 in 2024. The government also announced a two-year cap on the number of international student visas it will issue.

Other changes also affect families of foreign students and workers.

Starting Jan. 21, 2025, IRCC stated that "only spouses of certain international students and foreign workers will be able to apply for a family OWP." This means that dependent children of foreign workers will no longer be able to apply for a work permit.