International students must meet Canada’s new PGWP requirements starting Nov 1, 2024
Canada has announced new changes to its Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) eligibility criteria to ensure that international students help kill critical shortages in the country’s labour market, and do not clog sectors where there is already an adequate number or oversupply for skilled workers. This article enumerates the changes to PGWP program eligibility for international students. Starting from November 1, 2024, all international students must meet the new requirements for PGWP eligibility.
Updated language requirements
Among the changes to PGWP program eligibility are new language requirements: applicants must show proficiency in either English and/or French, and meet the English-language CLB (Canadian Language Benchmarks) or French-language NCLC (Niveau de competence linguistiques canadiens) requirements, which are as follows:
- If you graduated from a university: You need to have a minimum level of CLB 7 and/or NCLC 7 in all four language areas, if you graduated from a bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, or any other university-level program.
- If you graduated from a college program, or any program not listed above: You need to show a minimum CLB or NCLC level of 5, across all four language areas.
Applicants’ language requirements must meet the benchmarks across reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Test results must be less than two years old when submitting the application.
English language tests accepted by Canada are the CELPIP-General test, the IELTS General Training test, and the PTE Core test. French language proficiency is assessed through TEF Canada and TCF Canada.
Field of study requirement
Under the changes to PGWP program eligibility requirements, if students have graduated from a university program other than a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree, or a college program, their qualification must be in a field of study under the following five broad categories:
- Agriculture and agri-food
- Healthcare
- Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)
- Trade
- Transportation
Just like how Canada’s job designations are arranged under the National Occupation Classification (NOC), the country’s post-secondary education programs fall under the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP). Check if your degree falls under Canada’s CIP list. There are more than 900 separate areas of study under the CIP.
Also read: New PR pilot program to attract French-speaking international students to Canada
What remains the same?
For those who have graduated from a flight school that offers PGWP eligibility, the above rules do not apply, and they can continue to follow the old eligibility criteria even after November 1, 2024. Students who began their academics after May 15, 2024, at a private college operating under a curriculum licensing agreement (a public-private partnership that allows a private college to teach courses offered by a public institution), will not be eligible for a PWGP.
Students can apply for a PGWP from both inside and outside Canada. If you are planning to do so, note that you have up to 180 days after you graduate to apply. You must confirm the following when you apply:
- That you attended and completed your program
- The name of your program
- The length of your program
You can confirm these by submitting any of the following:
- Your degree or diploma
- Your transcript, or
- An official letter from your school
Your study permit should also be valid at some point during these 180 days. Please note that only Designated Learning Institutions (DLIs) are allowed to accept international students. Some bad actors unfortunately attempt to dupe international students by pushing them towards non-DLIs, in exchange for which they might receive commission-based payments.
Do not fall for these questionable practices. Instead, check whether the institution(s) to which you’re planning to apply is on Canada’s DLI list.
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