Canada tightens graduate work permit regulations for international students

The Canadian government says international students enrolled in certain university programs will face changes to their Canadian post-graduation work permit eligibility. The tightened norms were originally scheduled to come into force later but have now been brought forward.

This change is intended to address Housing shortage linked to rising numbers of international students.

The Canadian government was originally scheduled to begin implementing changes to the eligibility criteria on September 1, 2024.

The Canadian government said the new regulations will come into effect on May 15.

Under the revised regulations, graduates of university courses offered through public and private course licensing arrangements will no longer be eligible for a post-study work permit.

This means that students who enroll in such courses on or after May 15, 2024 will not be eligible for this license upon completion of their studies.

However, graduates will still retain the means to seek post-graduation work authorization. There are a number of options they can take, such as applying for a work permit supported by an employer-approved labor market impact assessment, particularly for occupations in Canada facing labor shortages.

To help students identify eligible colleges and institutions, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) maintains a list of Designated Learning Institutions.

Now, students who complete a master’s degree program, even if the duration is less than two years, will be eligible for the three-year Post-Graduation Work Permit Program (PGWP) as long as they meet all other requirements.

The PGWP gives international students the freedom to work as many hours as they choose, for any company, anywhere in Canada. Its duration depends on factors such as the length and intensity of the student’s course of study and the expiry date of the passport, whichever comes first.

The changes are a response to Canada’s housing shortage, which has been exacerbated by a surge in international student numbers. Over the past decade, Canada has experienced an unprecedented influx of international students, with the number of international students in 2023 increasing threefold from 2013. Issued study permits to over one million students.

New measures and government responses

In January, Canada introduced a new measure— Two-year cap on new international student permit, To cope with the influx of foreign students in recent years.

Study permit approvals are expected to fall by 35 per cent to about 360,000 by 2024, a move that comes as the federal government faces growing pressure over concerns its ambitious immigration targets are exacerbating a national housing shortage question.

especially, Indians are the largest group in the country, accounting for 37% Number of study visas issued in Canada in 2023. However, this number has declined due to the recent diplomatic standoff between India and Canada.

Government data shows that Canada issued more than 650,000 study permits to international students last year alone, bringing the total number of international students entering the country to more than 1 million.