The Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has issued a revised list of 966 academic programs that qualify for Canada’s post-graduation work permits, restricting eligibility to specific fields.
These designated programs include agriculture, agri-food, healthcare, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), skilled trades, and transportation studies.
The new work permit regulations, effective from November 2024, mark a significant shift in policy. According to IRCC’s announcement, international graduates will now need to focus on these specific fields to qualify, potentially affecting thousands who studied in other areas.
A report by The Toronto Star estimates that approximately 67,000 out of 105,030 international graduates with permits this year might be ineligible under the new criteria, as 64% of those permits were granted to college graduates outside the designated fields.
Business studies graduates accounted for 42% of work permits, while STEM graduates represented 37%, and computing and IT fields made up 16%. Only 1% of permits were issued to those in skilled trades, according to the report.
IRCC clarified that international students who applied for or hold a study permit before the policy takes effect would still qualify for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) under the current guidelines.
However, those applying for study permits after November 2024 will be subject to the updated requirements, including mandatory enrollment in eligible programs.
The new policy does, however, exempt graduates from degree programs at universities, allowing them to secure up to three-year work permits without field-specific restrictions.
In response to the policy shift, Colleges Ontario President and CEO Marketa Evans expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of regional input in the decision-making process. In her letter to IRCC Minister Marc Miller on September 27, she wrote, “We are very concerned about the lack of consultation with provinces and the use of national labour market information to inform what local employers need.”
Pari Johnston, President and CEO of Colleges and Institutes Canada, echoed Evans’ concerns, stating that aligning work permit eligibility solely with national labor needs fails to address the unique demands of local labor markets.
“Ottawa’s decision to align programs with national needs creates a fundamental disconnect between the pressing needs of local labour markets and the essential contributions of skilled international graduates,” she commented, as reported by ICEF Monitor.
IRCC noted that the criteria for the list of eligible programs were influenced by Canada’s labor shortages and are expected to resemble the selection standards used in the Express Entry program. However, the specific metrics for program eligibility remain undisclosed.
