Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has provided further details of the previously-announced upcoming changes to the eligibility criteria for the post-graduation work permit (PGWP).
What hasn’t changed
- To be eligible for a PGWP, applicants must continue to meet the general and physical location eligibility requirements (even after November 1, 2024) and complete a study program at a PGWP eligible designated learning institution.
- Those who apply for a PGWP before November 1, 2024 only need to meet the current eligibility criteria.
- Those who apply for a PGWP as a graduate from a PGWP eligible flight school only need to meet the current eligibility criteria (even after November 1, 2024). This means that the new eligibility requirements below do not apply to them.
New language requirements
Those who are applying for a PGWP on or after November 1, 2024, must meet the following requirements:
- Those who graduated from a university bachelor’s degree, master’s degree or doctoral degree program must prove their English or French language skills with a minimum level of Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) 7 in English or Niveaux de competence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) 7 in French in all 4 language areas.
- Those who graduated from any other university program must prove their English or French language skills with a minimum level of CLB 7 in English or NCLC 7 in French in all 4 language areas.
- Those who graduated from a college program or any other program not listed above must prove heir English or French language skills with a minimum level of CLB 5 in English or NCLC 5 in French in all 4 language areas.
New field of study requirements
Those who submitted their study permit application on or after November 1, 2024, must also meet the following requirements to be eligible to apply for a PGWP:
- Those who graduated from a university bachelor’s degree, master’s degree or doctoral degree program: All fields of study are eligible. There is no additional field of study requirement.
- Those who graduated from any other university program must graduate in an eligible field of study.
- Those who graduated from a college program or any other program not listed above must graduate in an eligible field of study.
If the study program has a field of study requirement, the applicant must graduate from a program linked to certain occupations in long-term shortage in these categories:
- agriculture and agri-food
- healthcare
- science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)
- trade
- transport
More information on fields of study is available here.
Erickson Insights & Analysis
Erickson Immigration Group will continue to monitor developments and share updates as more news is available. Please contact your employer or EIG attorney if you have questions about anything we’re reporting above or case-specific questions.