Study permit holders who applied before November 1 do not need to meet PGWP field of study requirements
If you applied for your study permit before November 1, 2024, you need not meet field of study requirements in order to be eligible for a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP).
You will still be required to meet the new language proficiency requirements when you apply for your PGWP.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) had previously stated that exemptions to the new language requirements and field of study requirements would only apply to students who had applied “for a PGWP before November 1, 2024.”
The department has since revised its documentation such that the date of your study permit application, not the date of your PGWP application, determines whether you must meet the new field of study requirements.
University bachelor's, master's, and doctoral graduates do not need to meet field of study requirements. The field of study requirements only apply to college graduates and to graduates of university vocational programs.
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All PGWP applicants, regardless of when they have submitted their study permit application, must meet the general eligibility and language requirement* criteria for this work permit.
*Language proficiency must be proved by taking an IRCC-approved language test. English ability is assessed according to the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) scale, while French proficiency is evaluated on the Niveaux de competence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) scale.
The updated eligibility criteria are summarized below in two tables:
PGWP Eligibility requirements (Study permit application submitted before Nov. 1, 2024):
| Level of study | Language requirements | Field of study requirements |
|---|---|---|
| University bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral programs | English or French language proficiency equivalent to a level 7 CLB/NCLC in all four language abilities. | N/A |
| University programs not listed above | English or French language proficiency equivalent to a level 7 CLB/NCLC in all four language abilities. | N/A |
| College program or non-university program | English or French language proficiency equivalent to a level 5 CLB/NCLC in all four language abilities. | N/A |
PGWP Eligibility requirements (Study permit application submitted after Nov. 1, 2024):
| Level of study | Language requirements | Field of study requirements |
|---|---|---|
| College / University bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral programs | English or French language proficiency equivalent to a level 7 CLB/NCLC in all four language abilities. | N/A |
| University programs not listed above | English or French language proficiency equivalent to a level 7 CLB/NCLC in all four language abilities. | Must have graduated from an eligible field of study. |
| College program or other non-university program | English or French language proficiency equivalent to a level 5 CLB/NCLC in all four language abilities. | Must have graduated from an eligible field of study. |
Can I remain eligible for a PGWP if I change schools?
If you currently hold a study permit which you applied for before November 1 and proceed to change your Designated Learning Institution (DLI), you will be subject to the new field of study requirements, unless you graduate from a university bachelor's, master's, or doctoral program.
This is because as of November 8, 2024, international students must apply for a new study permit (via applying for an extension of their current study permit) when they transfer schools and receive a new Provincial / Territorial Attestation Letter (PAL/TAL) if needed.
This means if you were to transfer schools now, the effective date of submission of your study permit application would be the most recent instance, not the date of submission for your initial study permit application. You would then need to meet the new field of study requirement criteria for a PGWP, unless you graduate from a university bachelor's, masters, or doctoral program.
Provided that you meet all applicable requirements based on the date of your study permit application, you will retain eligibility for a PGWP provided that your new school is
- On the list of approved DLIs; and
- Not on the suspension list.
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