Canada announces changes to postgraduate work permit: everything you need to know

The Canadian government has announced changes to its graduate work permit program, which will come into effect on November 1, 2024. These changes, including language requirements, language ability testing, and field of study, were introduced to manage the volume of temporary work permits. Arrivals of residents to the country.

what hasn’t changed

To be eligible for the program, the candidate must continue to meet general and physical location eligibility requirements and complete a program of study at a designated PGWP-eligible learning institution.

If you apply for a PGWP before November 1, 2024, you only need to meet the current eligibility criteria. If you are applying for a PGWP as a graduate of a PGWP-eligible flight school (even after November 1, 2024), you only need to meet the current eligibility criteria.

New eligibility requirements:

If a candidate has submitted a study permit application before November 1, 2024 and is apply for a PGWP on or after that dateThey must also comply with the new condition that relates to their circumstance.

* If you graduated with a bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate degree from a university:

Language requirement: You must prove your knowledge of the English or French language with a minimum level of Cadded lAnguage Benchmarks (CLB) 7 in English or Niveaux de competence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) 7 in French in the 4 linguistic areas.

* If you graduated from any other university degree:

Language requirement: You must demonstrate your knowledge of the English or French language with a minimum level of CLB 7 in English or NCLC 7 in French in all four language areas.

*If you graduated from a university program or any other program not mentioned above:

Language requirement: You must demonstrate your knowledge of the English or French language with a minimum level of CLB 5 in English or NCLC 5 in French in all four language areas.

If you request a study permit Starting November 1, 2024, you must also meet new standards related to your case to be eligible for a PGWP.

* If you graduated from a university bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral program:

Language requirement: You must demonstrate 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 degree:

Language requirement: You must demonstrate your knowledge of the English or French language with a minimum level of CLB 7 in English or NCLC 7 in French in the 4 linguistic areas.

Field of study requirement: Must graduate in an eligible field of study.

*If you graduated from a university program or any other program not mentioned above:

Language requirement: You must demonstrate your knowledge of the English or French language with a minimum level of CLB 5 in English or NCLC 5 in French in the 4 language areas.

Field of study requirement: Must graduate in an eligible field of study.

General language requirements:

Under the changes, candidates must provide proof of language ability to meet PGWP language requirements when submitting their application. The Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) will be used to demonstrate language proficiency in English and the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadien (NCLC) in French.

Language ability test:

The candidate must demonstrate skills in reading, writing, listening and speaking. Your test results must be less than two years old when you submit your application. Language test results from the Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP), IELTS and PTE Core for English will be accepted. TEF Canada: Test d’évaluation de français and TCF Canada: Test de connaissance du français for French will be accepted.

Field of study requirement:

Additionally, if the candidate’s degree program has a required field of study, he or she must graduate from a program tied to certain long-term shortage occupations. The fields of study are divided into 5 broad categories: agriculture and agri-food, health, science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), business and transportation.