Market intelligence for international student recruitment from ICEF
3rd Jul 2025

Canada: List of non-degree college programmes linked to post-study work rights has changed

Short on time? Here are the highlights:
  • The list of non-degree programme fields linked to international students’ eligibility for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP) has changed
  • Some programmes have been added, and some were removed
  • Most of those removed are in the areas of transport and agriculture
  • The more restrictive immigration environment affecting international students in Canada is already having an effect on population growth
  • Population growth stalled in Q1 2025, which was the government’s intention

The Canadian government is continuing its policy of linking eligibility for a post-study work permit (PGWP) – at the non-degree level – to certain fields of study. An international student in a programme that does not lead to an undergraduate, master’s, or postgraduate degree must be in a field linked to jobs in which there are long-term skills shortages in Canada, based on Express Entry priorities.

The list of eligible programmes has changed, based on 2025 Express Entry priorities. Some fields of study have been removed from the list, while others have been added, reflecting changing labour market dynamics in Canada.

The new list applies to students who applied for a study permit on or after November 1, 2024. However, the government says that “students who applied for a study permit before June 25, 2025, will still be eligible for a PGWP if their field of study was on the list when they applied for their study permit even if it has since been removed.”

The new list includes 920 fields. A total of 119 fields were added (e.g., in health care, social services, education, and trades), and 178 were removed. The jobs linked to the ones that were removed are no longer considered to correspond with long-term skills gaps. Many of those that were removed are in:

  • Farm management and crop production;
  • Indigenous education;
  • Student counselling and personnel services; environmental studies;
  • Building/property maintenance;
  • Drywall installation;
  • Solar energy technology;
  • Airframe mechanics;
  • Aircraft maintenance technology.

CIC Canada says: “Notably, IRCC has completely removed educational programmes in transport from the current list of PGWP-eligible programmes, and has left only one educational programme in the Agriculture and Agri-food field among those still eligible.”

In CIC Canada’s coverage, there is more extensive detailing of which programmes have been added.

Students wondering about whether their programme is on the new list can search for it here.

Along with more restrictive post-study work policies, the Canadian government has implemented a number of other rules in the past two years to stem the tide of international students and other temporary residents coming into the country. The intention is to cap temporary migration at 5% of the total population (it was 7.25% as of January 2025). The new policies are already having an impact on population growth, which has completely stalled as of Q1 2025.

For additional background, please see:

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

International degree graduates of Canadian colleges no longer have to meet field of study requirements for post-study work permits

Most Recent

  • Measuring the impacts of the first full year of Canada’s foreign student enrolment cap Read More
  • Study highlights gaps between English standards set by test developers and those used by universities and professional bodies Read More
  • US institutions bracing for a challenging enrolment outlook for 2025/26 Read More

Most Popular

  • Which countries will contribute the most to global student mobility in 2030? Read More
  • Research shows link between study abroad and poverty alleviation  Read More
  • Beyond the Big Four: How demand for study abroad is shifting to destinations in Asia and Europe Read More

Because you found this article interesting

Measuring the impacts of the first full year of Canada’s foreign student enrolment cap In January 2024, Canada’s immigration ministry (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, or IRCC) announced a two-year cap on...
Read more
US institutions bracing for a challenging enrolment outlook for 2025/26 The Institute of International Education’s (IIE) twice-yearly snapshot surveys are always required reading for international educators. That is...
Read more
How the UK’s Agent Quality Framework will shape the future of agent training This article was originally published in the ICEF Academy Knowledge Hub and is reproduced here with permission. International...
Read more
Dutch government walks back controversial measures to constrain English-taught degrees In a 3 July 2025 letter to the Dutch parliament, Education Minister Eppo Bruins explained that the government...
Read more
New Zealand announces strong foreign enrolment growth along with a new international education strategy Following a post-pandemic surge in 2023, Education New Zealand (ENZ) announced this week that the country’s international student...
Read more
US issues corrected student visa data showing growth for 2024 while current trends point to an enrolment decline for 2025/26 In April 2025, we reported that foreign enrolments in the US had declined by -11% between March 2024...
Read more
Survey finds US institutions expanding agency engagement and focusing on new student markets AIRC (The Association of International Enrollment Management) and BONARD have just released a second edition of the State...
Read more
Canada’s language sector buffeted by policy changes in 2024 Amid reports of mounting job losses and programme cuts across Canadian education, the country’s language education providers are...
Read more
What are you looking for?
Quick Links