Canada postpones removal of study programs from PGWP eligibility

Canada’s immigration department has announced a grace period for the removal of many study programs from eligibility for post-graduation work permits (PGWPs).

Study programs which had initially been removed from eligibility effective 25 June, 2025 will remain on the list of eligible fields of study until "early 2026," according to an update to that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) posted on its website on 4 July, 2025.

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Students who applied for a study permit between 25 June (the date of the initial change) and 4 July (the date of the amendment) can still qualify for a PGWP based on the formerly-removed study programs.

As a result of this change, the current list of PGWP-eligible educational programs has grown from 920 to 1,107 programs.

Field of study requirements are primarily applicable to college program graduates.

Graduates of college bachelor’s programs, university bachelor’s programs, and university master’s and doctoral programs are exempt from field of study requirements.

Post-graduation work permits are open work permits issued to qualifying international student graduates of Canadian postsecondary institutuions. They can be issued for up to three years, depending on the length of the study program.

Open work permits are not tied to a specific employer or job; rather, an open work permit authorizes a foreign national to work for most employers in most industries in Canada.

Previous update to PGWP-eligible programs

On 25 June, IRCC introduced substantial changes to the list of educational programs that qualify for PGWP—removing multiple previously eligible programs while simultaneously adding a significant number of new programs (including a completely new set of programs in the “Education” field).

Key changes included:

Adding 119 new Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) codes to the PGWP-eligible list; and
Removing 178 CIP codes from PGWP eligibility (including the totality of the “Transport” category of eligible programs).

The CIP system is how the Canadian federal government classifies educational programs. It is based on each program’s curriculum, not on the program’s name.

As with the 4 July update, these changes applied specifically to international students in non-degree programs (those not leading to a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree) who applied for their study permit on or after 1 November 2024.

Students who submitted their study permit application before 25 June 2025 were grandfathered into this new policy. This means they remained eligible for a PGWP as long as their program was on the approved list at the time they applied for either their study permit or their PGWP—even if it has since been removed.

General eligibility requirements

In addition to meeting field of study requirements, to be eligible for a PGWP international students must:

Finish a program of study at a PGWP-eligible designated learning institution that was at least 8 months in duration (or 900 hours for programs in Quebec);
Maintain full-time student status in Canada during each semester of their study program;
- Students may study part-time in their final semester;
Submit their PGWP application within 180 days of receiving confirmation that they completed your program of study;
Maintain study permit validity at some point during the 180 days after graduation and before they submit their PGWP application; and
Meet language proficiency requirements according to their level of study.

To learn more about PGWP eligibility and applying for a PGWP, visit our dedicated webpage.

Schedule a Free PGWP Consultation with the Cohen Immigration Law Firm