27/01/2024
Canada 🇨🇦 to Stabilize New International Study Permits. ( Summary of New Regulations )🇨🇦
On January 22nd, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced it is implementing changes to stabilize growth and decrease the number of international study permits for international students in 2024.
Discover your options to study in Canada 🇨🇦. Sharma For Canada 🇨🇦
🍁To better align the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) with these changes, IRCC announced updates to the programs’ eligibility criteria.
🍁In particular, starting in September 2024, international students who begin a study program that is part of a curriculum licensing agreement will no longer be eligible for a PGWP after graduating.
🍁Under curriculum licensing agreements, students attend a private college that has been licensed to deliver the curriculum associated with a public college.
🍁Put differently, if a public college has established licensing agreements with a private college, and a student is enrolled in the private college, they will not be eligible for a PGWP.
🍁Check for college PGWP Eligibility in the undermentioned link.
You need to know if you are eligible to work after you graduate. Not all designated learning institutions and not all programs of study make you eligible for the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program.
Along with graduating from a PGWP-eligible designated learning institution, you need to meet all other criteria to get a post-graduation work permit.
The list below will let you know if your designated learning institution offers programs that will make you eligible for a post-graduation work permit.
List of designated learning institutions by province/territory
Step 1: Choose the province or territory your school is in.
Step 2: Type in keywords such as the name of the school, city, etc.
Step 3: Find the DLI number and write it under the section Details of intended study in Canada on your study permit application.
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/study-canada/study-permit/prepare/designated-learning-institutions-list.html
🍁IRCC has explained that these programs have less oversight than public colleges and this can act as a loophole with regards to PGWP eligibility.
🍁It has become increasingly common for institutions to accept more students than they have the capacity to host. This sometimes results in these institutions having to revoke students’ letters of acceptance (LOAs). This phenomenon has been exacerbated by Canada welcoming record-high numbers of international students.
🍁To illustrate, in October 2023, 500 students had their admission offers revoked by Northern College in Ontario. The college said they had to rescind offers because of a lack of housing and jobs available for international students.
🍁By implementing this change, IRCC intends to mitigate these situations and maintain a more controlled and sustainable environment for international students in Canada.
🍁Longer work permit for shorter graduate level programs
🍁IRCC also announced that graduates of master’s and other short graduate-level programs will soon be eligible to apply for a 3-year work permit.
🍁Under current criteria, a PGWP length is based on the length of an individual’s study program. Since master’s programs are usually shorter than undergraduate programs, the current criteria have limited the amount of time master’s students or shorter-term graduate students can work in Canada.
🍁This change will allow masters students to be eligible for a longer work permit, which will provide them with an extended opportunity to gain valuable Canadian work experience. This often makes it easier for them to become permanent residents.
How does the PGWP work?
A PGWP is an open work permit, which allows international graduates to work for any Canadian employer without needing a job offer.
🍁The PGWP is valid for up to three years, however the actual length of each person’s PGWP generally depends on the length of their study program in Canada. For example, if the completed program was between 8 months and less than 2 years, then the PGWP will be valid for the same length (e.g., a 10-month program will result in a 10-month PGWP).
🍁The major benefit of the PGWP is that it allows international graduates to gain professional work experience in Canada. Such work experience is helpful when PGWP holders go on to apply for permanent resident status.
To be eligible for a PGWP, international students must have:
🍁Completed studies in an academic, vocational or professional training program that is at least eight months long at an eligible Designated Learning Institution (DLI)
Study program must have led to a degree, diploma or certificate
Held full time student status in Canada during every academic session of the program of study and included as part of their post-graduation work permit application
Obtained a transcript and an official letter from the DLI confirming the applicant has met all requirements to complete their program of study
The student must also have graduated from:
🍁A public post-secondary institution, such as a college, a trade or technical school, a university, or a CEGEP (in Quebec)
A private post-secondary school (in Quebec) that operates under the same rules as public schools in Quebec;
A private secondary or post-secondary school (in Quebec) that offers qualifying programs of 900 hours or longer and results in the issuance of a diplôme d’études professionnelles (DEP) or an attestation de spécialisation professionnelle (ASP); or
Canadian private school that can award degrees under provincial law (for example, Associate, Bachelor’s, Master’s or Doctorate degree) but only if the student was enrolled in a study program that leads to a degree as authorized by the province.
🍁According to the latest data from November 2023 provided IRCC, 62,410 international student graduates successfully obtained permanent residency in Canada. This marked a notable rise of 9,670 individuals compared to the 52,740 international graduates who transitioned to permanent residency in 2022.
🍁Canada to stabilize growth and decrease number of new international student permits issued to approximately 360,000 for 2024. ( This applies for undergraduate and college level graduate certificate & diploma programs and there are no study permit limitations for master degree and PhD. )
From: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
🍁International students enrich our communities and are a critical part of Canada’s social, cultural and economic fabric. In recent years, the integrity of the international student system has been threatened. Some institutions have significantly increased their intakes to drive revenues, and more students have been arriving in Canada without the proper supports they need to succeed. Rapid increases in the number of international students arriving in Canada also puts pressure on housing, health care and other services. As we work to better protect international students from bad actors and support sustainable population growth in Canada, the government is moving forward with measures to stabilize the number of international students in Canada.
🍁The Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship announced today that the Government of Canada will set an intake cap on international student permit applications to stabilize new growth for a period of two years. For 2024, the cap is expected to result in approximately 360,000 approved study permits, a decrease of 35% from 2023. In the spirit of fairness, individual provincial and territorial caps have been established, weighted by population, which will result in much more significant decreases in provinces where the international student population has seen the most unsustainable growth.
🍁Study permit renewals will not be impacted.
🍁Those pursuing master’s and doctoral degrees, and elementary and secondary education are not included in the cap.
🍁Current study permit holders will not be affected.
IRCC will allocate a portion of the cap to each province and territory, who will then distribute the allocation among their designated learning institutions. To implement the cap, as of January 22, 2024, every study permit application submitted to IRCC will also require an attestation letter from a province or territory. Provinces and territories are expected to establish a process for issuing attestation letters to students by no later than March 31, 2024.
🍁These temporary measures will be in place for two years, and the number of new study permit applications that will be accepted in 2025 will be re-assessed at the end of this year. During this period, the Government of Canada will continue to work with provinces and territories, designated learning institutions and national education stakeholders on developing a sustainable path forward for international students, including finalizing a recognized institution framework, determining long-term sustainable levels of international students and ensuring post-secondary institutions are able to provide adequate levels of student housing.
🍁In order to better align the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program, we are changing the eligibility criteria:
Starting September 1, 2024, international students who begin a study program that is part of a curriculum licensing arrangement will no longer be eligible for a postgraduation work permit upon graduation. Under curriculum licensing agreements, students physically attend a private college that has been licensed to deliver the curriculum of an associated public college. These programs have seen significant growth in attracting international students in recent years, though they have less oversight than public colleges and they act as a loophole with regards to post-graduation work permit eligibility.
🍁Graduates of master’s degree programs will soon be eligible to apply for a 3-year work permit. Under current criteria, the length of a postgraduation work permit is based solely on the length of an individual’s study program, hindering master’s graduates by limiting the amount of time they have to gain work experience and potentially transition to permanent residence.
In the weeks ahead, open work permits will only be available to spouses of international students in master’s and doctoral programs.
🍁The spouses of international students in other levels of study, including undergraduate and college programs, will no longer be eligible.
Still they can immigrate as dependents ( visitors) but work permit for spouses won’t be issued.
🍁The important measures announced today complement other recently announced reforms to the International Student Program. Taken together, they aim to ensure genuine students receive the support they require and have the resources they need for an enriching study experience in Canada, while at the same time stabilizing the overall number of students arriving and alleviating pressures on housing, health care and other services in Canada.
🍁Most international students who graduate from the University of Toronto are eligible to apply for a PGWP with a validity period of up to 3 years – the length of the PGWP given depends on the length of the student’s program of study. If you meet the eligibility requirements, and the length your program is considered by the University to be:
From 8 months to 2 years of study, you should expect one month of work for every month of the program.
Exception #1: 16-23 month intensive graduate programs (ie. that don’t include a summer/term break), you should expect a 3 year work permit.
Exception #2:Master’s students starting their programs in September 2024 (who meet the eligibility criteria for a PGWP) can expect a 3 year work permit regardless of the length of their program.
Over 2 years, you should expect a 3 year work permit.
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