Who Can and Can’t Get a Post-Graduation Work Permit: A Clarification for Students
The rules for obtaining a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) in Canada have changed drastically over the past year. Many students, their families, and even advisers continue to be confused by the nuances. This article will help you understand who is eligible for a PGWP, what changes have already taken effect, and who should be extremely careful when choosing a study program today.
Before November 1st, 2024
If you were approved for a Study Permit before November 1st, 2024:
You will remain eligible to apply for a PGWP after completing your studies, regardless of your program’s industry. However, when applying for a PGWP, you will be required to provide a language test (e.g. IELTS or CELPIP). These rules apply even if the study period lasts 1, 2 or 3 years. The key point here: when the initial Study Permit was approved.
From November 1st 2024 to June 25th 2025
If your Study Permit was approved during this period:
Only those studying in programs from approved priority sectors (list of occupations from November 2024) are eligible for a PGWP.
This includes Healthcare:
nurses of all categories, laboratory and medical technicians, veterinary technicians and assistants, pharmacists and pharmacy assistants, social workers, dietitians and nutritionists, orthotics and prosthetics specialists.
Education: primary and secondary school teachers, science teachers, teachers of English and French as a second language, teachers of technical subjects and vocational training.
Construction and technical professions: electricians, plumbers, welders, carpenters, heating and ventilation systems’ installers, heavy equipment mechanics, sheet metal workers.
STEM professions: civil engineering specialists, electromechanics, biomedical technicians, robotics and automation, telecommunications, alternative energy (solar, wind).
Logistics and management: supply chain management specialists, construction and industrial project management.
The language test is still mandatory for obtaining a PGWP.
If the program is not on the list of in-demand programs, you cannot obtain a PGWP.
After June 25th 2025
Students who have been approved for a Study Permit after this date:
Will only be able to obtain a PGWP if their study program is on the updated, even more restricted list of priority sectors (published on June 25th 2025). Please note that the list has expanded, but also been reduced in many areas. Among the reduced ones: most programs in the field of agriculture, some areas of ecology and natural resources, some programs in the field of IT and computer technology, including Data Science, Cloud Computing, Web design, certain engineering areas (aerospace engineering, marine engineering, energy systems), programs related to alternative medicine (acupuncture, homeopathy, herbal medicine, etc.), some professions in the field of transport, including pilots, aircraft technicians, railway workers, truck drivers, as well as logistics and supply chain management programs. The language test remains mandatory.
If the field of study is not on this list, it is impossible to obtain a PGWP.
Important clarification for current students
These changes do not apply to students who are already in Canada and studying if their Study Permit has been approved:
Before November 1st, 2024 (regardless of the program)
From November 1st, 2024 to June 25th, 2025 (if the program meets the list of in-demand industries)
If you are finishing your studies in 2024 or 2025 and your Study Permit was approved before all these changes took place, then you can still apply for an open graduate work visa.
That is:
If you started your studies earlier, feel free to finish the program because you fall under the old rules. Anyways, I highly recommend checking which graduate visa rules you fall under on a special immigration website.
If you are just planning to study and apply for a Study Permit now, you need to choose your study program very carefully.
Don't take risks: choose programs consciously
If you or your children plan to study in Canada, make sure to:
Check the list of programs that provide PGWP rights
Plan to obtain a language certificate
Consult with immigration specialists to avoid mistakes that can close the path to your immigration through Canadian work experience
Oleksandra Melnykova, Immigration and Refugee Consultant in Canada.
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