Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) provided important details regarding the new rules for Canada’s post-graduation work permit (PGWP) eligibility on Friday, 4 October. This update follows the additional restrictions IRCC introduced on 18 September.

IRCC’s latest update confirms that 1 November 2024 is the effective date for the new regulations. Students who applied for or held a study permit before 1 November 2024 will remain eligible for a PGWP under the previous rules.

The new rules will affect students applying for a study permit on or after 1 November 2024.

From the effective date, IRCC states that college program graduates or those from any other program not previously specified must graduate in an eligible field of study to qualify for a post-graduation work permit.

It should be noted that university degree programme graduates are not affected by the new rules and will continue to be eligible for PGWPs of up to three years, without a field of study requirement.

Regarding eligible fields of study for college graduates, IRCC’s 4 October announcement provides a detailed list of 966 eligible academic programmes. These programmes are limited to five broad areas:

• Agriculture and agri-food
• Healthcare
• Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)
• Trade

Consequently, some popular areas of college programming for international students, such as tourism and hospitality or any business programmes, will no longer be PGWP-eligible.