The Canadian government has made changes to which educational programs can lead to a work permit upon graduation.
On 25 June, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) made substantial changes to the eligible fields of study for Post-Graduation Work Permits (PGWP), in order to reflect updated labour market demands in 2025.
Students in 119 new fields of study are now eligible for a PGWP, while 178 fields of study have been removed from eligibility.
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This change applies to international students who:
- Are enrolled in non-degree programs (programs that do not lead to a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree); and
- Applied for their study permit on or after 1 November 2024.
Students who submitted their study permit application before June 25, 2025 are grandfathered: they will remain eligible for a PGWP as long as their field of study was on the approved PGWP-eligible list at the time of application, even if it has been removed since.
This is a breaking news story. CIC News will continue to update this article as more details emerge.
What changes have been made to the eligible fields of study?
As of this update, there are now 920 PGWP-eligible fields of study.
These educational programs are directly related to occupations in key sectors of the Canadian economy that have experienced persistent labour market shortages.
The 119 newly added educational programs are in fields of study such as:
- Healthcare and social services;
- Education; and
- Trades.
By the same logic, the 178 now-ineligible fields of study have been removed because the occupations they are linked to are no longer experiencing labour shortages.
A full updated list of the PGWP-eligible fields of study can be found here.
The link between PGWP-eligible fields of study and Express Entry categories
Both PGWP-eligible fields of study and Express Entry categories are regulated by IRCCwith a close focus on Canada’s labour market.
While PGWP-eligible fields of study help the immigration department prioritize students at the non-degree level who meet labour market demands for work permits, Express Entry categories allow IRCC to prioritize immigration candidates who meet labour market demands for permanent residence (PR) selection.
Due to this link, changes in Express Entry categories, as were observed in February of this year, tend to mirror changes in PGWP-eligible fields of study. This holds true for today’s changes, which directly mimic the added occupations to Express Entry’s priority categories.
What other requirements need to be met to obtain a PGWP?
Regardless of whether the field of study requirement applies, all students who wish to obtain a PGWP upon graduating must meet language proficiency requirements, according to their level of study:
| Level of study | Language requirements | Field of study requirements |
|---|---|---|
| College bachelor’s degree programs | English or French language proficiency equivalent to a level 7 CLB/NCLC in all four language abilities. | N/A |
| University bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral programs | English or French language proficiency equivalent to a level 7 CLB/NCLC in all four language abilities. | N/A |
| University programs not listed above | English or French language proficiency equivalent to a level 7 CLB/NCLC in all four language abilities. | Must have graduated from an eligible field of study. |
| College program or other non-university program | English or French language proficiency equivalent to a level 5 CLB/NCLC in all four language abilities. | Must have graduated from an eligible field of study. |
Graduates of PGWP-eligible flight schools do not need to meet field of study requirements.
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