October 7, 2024 – IRCC – This page outlines the recently announced changes to the post-graduation work permit (PGWP) eligibility.

What hasn’t changed

• To be eligible for a PGWP, you must continue to meet the general and physical location eligibility requirements (even after November 1, 2024) and complete a study program at a PGWP eligible designated learning institution.
• If you apply for a PGWP before November 1, 2024, you only need to meet the current eligibility criteria.
• If you apply for a PGWP as a graduate from a PGWP eligible flight school, you only need to meet the current eligibility criteria (even after November 1, 2024).
  • This means that the new eligibility requirements below do not apply to you.

If you submitted your study permit application before November 1, 2024 and are applying for a PGWP on or after November 1, 2024, you must also meet the new requirement that applies to your situation.

• If you graduated with a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree or doctoral degree from a university:
  • Language requirement: You must prove your English or French language skills with a minimum level of Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) 7 in English or Niveaux de competence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) 7 in French in all 4 language areas.
• If you graduated in any other university program:
  • Language requirement: You must prove your English or French language skills with a minimum level of CLB 7 in English or NCLC 7 in French in all 4 language areas.
• If you graduated from a college program or any other program not listed above:
  • Language requirement: You must prove your English or French language skills with a minimum level of CLB 5 in English or NCLC 5 in French in all 4 language areas.

If you submit your study permit application on or after November 1, 2024, you must also meet the new requirements that apply to your situation to be eligible to apply for a PGWP.

• If you graduated from a university bachelor’s degree, master’s degree or doctoral degree program:
  • Language requirement: You must prove your English or French language skills with a minimum level of Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) 7 in English or Niveaux de competence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) 7 in French in all 4 language areas.
  • Field of study requirement: All fields of study are eligible. There is no additional field of study requirement.
• If you graduated from any other university program:
  • Language requirement: You must prove your English or French language skills with a minimum level of CLB 7 in English or NCLC 7 in French in all 4 language areas.
  • Field of study requirement: You must graduate in an eligible field of study.
• If you graduated from a college program or any other program not listed above:
  • Language requirement: You must prove your English or French language skills with a minimum level of CLB 5 in English or NCLC 5 in French in all 4 language areas.
  • Field of study requirement: You must graduate in an eligible field of study.

Language requirements

You must provide proof of language ability to meet the language requirements for the PGWP when you submit your application.

To measure your English or French levels, we use

• Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) for English
• Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadien (NCLC) for French

Proof of language ability

You must demonstrate your skill in each of the following abilities:

• reading
• writing
• listening
• speaking

Your test results must be less than 2 years old when you submit your application. We accept language test results from these tests:

Caption text

English	French
CELPIP: Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program You should take the CELPIP-General test.	TEF Canada: Test d’évaluation de français
IELTS: International English Language Testing System You should take the IELTS General Training option.	TCF Canada: Test de connaissance du français
PTE Core: Pearson Test of English You should take the PTE Core option

Field of study requirement

If your study program has a field of study requirement, you must graduate from a program linked to certain occupations in long-term shortage. The fields of study are divided into 5 broad categories:

• agriculture and agri-food
• healthcare
• science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)
• trade
• transport

For more information, visit IRCC here. 

Clarification from IRCC, October 10th:

“Per the Minister’s announcement on September 18th 2024, only students graduating from an institution that grants a university bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees will be exempt from having to confirm alignment with national labour needs. Those who apply for a study permit as of November 1, 2024 and graduating from other types of institutions will need to meet the labour market assessment (i.e. graduate from an eligible field of study) to be PGWP eligible. Eligibility for other work permits under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and the International Mobility Program does not change.  The ability for provinces and territories to develop permanent residency streams under the Provincial Nominee Program to address local labour needs remains as well; many PTs have direct-to-PR streams available for international graduates.

As previously mentioned, this policy decision was made in alignment with the broader Government of Canada commitment to reduce temporary resident volumes.”