67,000 Foreigners Risk Disqualification As Canada Unveils New Work Permit Rules

The Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has released a list of 966 eligible academic programmes that allow only students of agriculture and agri-food, healthcare, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), skilled trades, and transportation, to be eligible for the Work Permit.

The new regulations for work permits become effective in November 2024.

At least 67,000 out of 105,030 international graduates who received work permits this year may not qualify under new rules if they pursued studies outside designated fields.

The estimate of international graduates who might not be eligible for a work permit this year was derived from a report by The Toronto Star, which stated that 64% of the 105,030 postgraduate work permits were granted to international graduates from colleges.

Business studies graduates represented 42 per cent of the permits, while STEM fields accounted for 37 per cent and computing and IT for 16 per cent.

Only one per cent of permits were granted to graduates in skilled trades.

Under the new work permit rules, foreign students must focus on specific fields of study to qualify for Canada’s post-graduation work permit (PGWP).

Students who apply for or already hold a study permit before the new regulations take effect will still be eligible for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) under the existing rules.

However, those applying on or after this date will face stricter requirements, including the necessity to pursue specific fields of study to qualify for the PGWP.

Graduates from degree programmes offered by universities are exempted from the new restrictions as they will continue to qualify for PGWPs of up to three years without needing to meet any field-specific criteria.

The changes highlight the increasing need for international students to carefully consider their fields of study to ensure eligibility for work permits in Canada.

The criteria used to compile the list of eligible programmes remain unclear, regardless, IRCC suggested that it will be based on long-term labour shortages within the Canadian economy, akin to the criteria used in the Express Entry category-based selection process.

An IRCC spokesperson also mentioned that the policy was developed with input from a variety of stakeholders, including provinces, territories, and other partners.

The new rules have, however, prompted strong objections from within the education sector, which argued that the changes could limit opportunities for international students.

The president and CEO of Colleges Ontario, Marketa Evans, voiced her dissatisfaction in an open letter to the IRCC Minister, Marc Miller, on September 27.

“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,” she wrote.

Evans called on the federal government to engage in discussions with the provinces to align the new policy with regional employment needs.

The President and CEO of Colleges and Institutes Canada, Pari Johnston, also shared Evans’ thoughts.

“Ottawa’s decision to align programmes with national needs creates a fundamental disconnect between the pressing needs of local labour markets and the essential contributions of skilled international graduates,” Johnston said, as reported by ICEF Monitor.