The Immigration, Refugees, Citizenship and Canada (IRCC) have released some minor changes and clarifications to the International Student Program Reforms announcement made earlier.
Exempt from the Cap
- Minor children applying to study at primary or secondary school (K-12)
- Students applying to Masters or PhD programs. This is an update to no longer include “other graduate programs”
- Students applying to extend their study permit, and others captured by R215(e.g. work permit holders and family members of work permit holders among others)
Take-aways
- SPs destined outside Quebec cannot be filed right now, except for the (a)-(c) exemptions above, because provinces have not announced a process for receiving attestation letters.
- Once provincial processes are in place, the availability of Canadian Study Permits for non-exempt studies will be significantly reduced.
- Work permit holders and their dependents applying inside Canada have been added to the exemption list.
- This is an update to no longer include adult dependent children.
PGWP Eligibility
- Starting September 1, 2024, international students who begin a program that is part of a curriculum licensing arrangement will not be eligible for a PGWP. Under curriculum licensing agreements, students physically attend a private college that has been licensed to deliver the curriculum of an associated public college.
- As of February 15, 2024, Graduates of Master’s programs will be eligible for a 3-year work permit, even if their program of study was less than 2 years in length. This is an update to remove “other graduate level” programs.
Erickson Insights and 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.