The Canadian government has announced changes to its post-graduate work permit (PGWP) for international students, which will be imposed after November 1, 2024, and onwards.
What changes to PGWP eligibility criteria for working in Canada after you graduate?
If you submit your study permit application on or after November 1, 2024, you must meet the new requirements that apply to your situation to be eligible to apply for a PGWP in Canada.
The following are the specifics with respect to various conditions:
2. If you graduated from any other university program.
- Language requirement: You must prove your English or French language skills with a minimum level of CLB 7 in English or NCLC 7 in French in all 4 language areas.
- Field of study requirement: You must graduate in an eligible field of study.
3. If you graduated from a college program or any other program not listed above.
Field of study requirement
- If your study program has a field of study requirement, you must graduate from a program linked to certain occupations in long-term shortage.
- The fields of study are divided into 5 broad categories: agriculture and agri-food; healthcare; science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM); trade; and transport.
Canada caps international student, foreign worker permits
Canada in September also announced it was slashing international student permits in 2025, and tightening foreign worker rules to further bring down the number of temporary residents in the country, as per an AFP report.
The move comes after several recent rounds of restrictions aimed at taming record immigration levels that pushed Canada’s population past 41 million earlier this year.
In 2025, Ottawa plans to issue 437,000 study permits to international students, down from 485,000 this year and more than 500,000 in 2023.
It is also putting new limits on work permits for spouses of some international students and foreign workers. And it will be stepping up checks before issuing travel visas to stem a spike in fraudulent or rejected asylum claims.