Canada has revised the eligibility criteria for Post Graduate Work Permits (PGWP), adding 119 new fields of study in high-demand sectors and removing 178 that no longer align with labour market needs. These changes apply to international students who applied for a study permit on or after November 1, 2025.
The updated list now includes 920 eligible fields of study across essential sectors such as healthcare, social services, education, and skilled trades.
Why has Canada changed its PGWP requirements?
This move is part of Canada’s broader effort to fill labour gaps in critical industries by aligning international education pathways with long-term employment needs — to prioritize Express Entry applications for immigrants in five broad sectors: agriculture and agri-food; education; healthcare and social services; science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM); and trades and transportation. View the full list of eligible fields.
“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,” announced Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
What fields of study are eligible for a PGWP?
Examples of fields of study in education include bilingual education, teaching children with disabilities, teaching a specific subject, as well as general education, and child development. Healthcare and social service sectors include veterinary medicine, genetics, nutrition, psychology, residency programs, and nursing, as well as the technologies associated with the field (such as biotechnology), and a host of technician roles.
Roles in STEM include architecture and allied fields (such as city planning), computing (with emphasis on fields such as artificial intelligence and network management), engineering, mathematics and statistics, and the sciences.
A student who qualifies in the trades also meets the study requirements to obtain a PGWP. Trade qualifications include a broad range of roles, including the construction sector, HVAC, mechanics, the energy sector, manufacturing, food preparation, and many others.
Also read: Is your job in demand in Canada? Here’s how to find out
Canada is also focusing on support for skilled refugees and employers
Aside from modifying the study requirements to obtain PGWPs, Canada has also extended its Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot (EMPP), which offers employment to skilled refugees and other displaced people to help address labour shortages, until December 31, 2025.
From 2019 until the end of March 2025, 970 people have been admitted, working in healthcare, construction, food service, and other in-demand sectors. Canada has capped the number of people who can enter the country under this stream at 950 applicants.
“The extension will allow more workers in essential sectors such as health care to benefit from the pilot’s pathway to permanent residence and continue to contribute to our economy,” said IRCC. “The EMPP is part of Canada’s broader immigration strategy to promote economic growth, address labour market needs and help newcomers settle in communities across the country.”
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