Canada: Updated rules for PGWP-eligible college programmes and student transfers

Following a flurry of announcements affecting international students throughout past year, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) provided two important updates in the final weeks of December 2024.

The first expands the list of college programmes for which graduates will be eligible to receive a post-graduation work permit (PGWP). The second provides clarification around how some students will be eligible for a grace period with respect to new rules around transferring from one institution to another within Canada.

Expanding the list of eligible college programmes

In October 2024, IRCC announced a new "field of study" requirement for graduates of college programmes, including degree programmes, explaining to students that, "If you graduated from a college programme, you must graduate in an eligible field of study in order to be eligible for a post-graduation work permit."

The effective date for that new policy was 1 November 2024, meaning that students who had applied on or after that date would be bound by new rules, including the field of study requirement. Students who applied for or held a study permit prior to 1 November 2024 remained eligible for a PGWP under the previous rules.

IRCC also provided an initial listing of PGWP-eligible college programmes at the time. This amounted to 966 eligible academic programmes in five broad areas: agriculture and agri-food; healthcare; science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM); skilled trade; and transportation.

The new development in this area occurred on 17 December 2024, at which point IRCC expanded the list of eligible programmes to include nearly 40 additional options in two new fields: early childhood education and developmental service workers.

A grace period for student transfers

On 15 November 2024, IRCC announced that, with immediate effect, students must apply for a new study permit when transferring to a new institution.

There was some suggestion at the time, however, that students currently enrolled in Canada would benefit from a grace period before the new transfer rule would apply. In late-December, IRCC clarified the terms under which those cases would be handled.

The grace provisions apply to students who had previously been enrolled in Canada and had been accepted to continue their studies via transfer to a new institution for either the Winter (starting from 1 January 2025) or Spring (starting from 1 May 2025) semesters. IRCC otherwise requires that such students:

• Have already applied for a study permit extension
• Have a student permit that doesn't have the DLI name printed on it
• Otherwise be in compliance with all existing study permit conditions

"If you meet these criteria," IRCC concludes. "You can attend the new DLI you wanted to transfer to while your study permit extension is being processed."

For additional background, please see:

• "Canada confirms expansion of in-study work rights and new compliance requirements for institutions"
• "Canadian immigration ministry releases list of college programmes eligible for post-study work permits"
• "Canada: Sector survey says collaboration between governments and institutions essential to avoid 'long-term damage to the sector'"