On October 4, 2024 the Canadian Government announced further changes to Canada’s International Student Program to the ones that were made on September 18, 2024. This announcement included changes to study permit cap levels for 2025 and 2026 and the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) program.
Changes to Provincial Attestation Letters and Cap Allocations
The announcement included the following changes to the Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) system and study permit caps:
- The upcoming cap for 2025 will be reduced from the 2024 numbers by 10%.
- This will mean a reduction in study permits issued to 437,000. Please note that this includes all study levels and study permit extensions.
- In 2026, the study permit cap will be set at the same number of study permits issued in 2025.
- In the announcement, the government shared that over the next three years, they project these changes to lead to 300,000 fewer international study permits being issued.
- The Canadian provinces and territories will receive their allocation numbers in the coming weeks from the federal government.
- Master’s and PhD students, previously exempt, will now be included in the cap.
- Provinces will have a special “Graduate Provincial Attestation Letter” for those students. Master’s and PhD students will now have to submit a provincial attestation letter as part of their study permit application.
- Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will reserve approximately 12% of study permit allocation spaces for these students, in recognition of the benefits they bring to the Canadian labour market.
- K-12 students will remain exempt from the cap.
Post-Graduation Work Permit Changes
The Post-Graduation Work Permit program, or PGWP, is offered to new international student graduates by the Canadian Government. It allows new grads at eligible designated learning institutions (DLIs) to stay and work in Canada for up to three years in their field, allowing them to build their professional network and career experience.
PGWP length varies depending on the level of study. Here’s how it worked:
- If your program was under 8 months long, you were not eligible for a PGWP.
- If your program was at least 8 months long, but shorter than 2 years, your PGWP will be valid for up to the same amount of time as your study program (a new grad from a 10 month program would receive a PGWP of up to 10 months.)
- Non-master’s degree programs which were two years or longer received a PGWP of up to three years.
- Master’s degree graduates received PGWPs of up to three years, even if their program was under two years long.
Moving forward, PGWP program eligibility will work differently for students who submitted their study permit application before November 1, 2024, and those who submit their application after that date.
Current Students and Study Permit Applicants
In the announcement, it was emphasized that these changes will address ongoing challenges in the international education sector, while helping to ensure international students who are already in Canada or whose study permit has already been submitted are supported.
International students who are currently enrolled in a study program or who have not yet started classes but who submit their study permit application before November 1, 2024 will be required to meet Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) requirements for English or Niveaux de competence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) for French proficiency when they apply for PGWP. Language proficiency test results must be less than two years old when the PGWP application is submitted.
As of November 1, 2024, anyone who applies for PGWP will require a CLB or NCLC score of at least level 7 for university graduates, and level 5 for college graduates. This is the only new PGWP requirement for current students and those who have already submitted their study permit application.
Study Permit Applicants After November 1, 2024
Future international students who submit their Canadian study permit application on or after November 1, 2024, will also have to meet new PGWP requirements which relate to their level of study. Let’s take a closer look at the updated eligibility requirements for different program levels.
Bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, or doctoral degree program:
- Meet criteria for CLB or NCLC at level 7 or higher in all language areas.
- No additional field of study requirement.
Any other university program (e.g. certificates or diplomas):
- Meet criteria for CLB or NCLC at level 7 or higher in all language areas.
- Study program must be in a PGWP-eligible field of study.
College program, or any other program not listed above:
- Meet criteria for CLB or NCLC at level 5 or higher in all language areas.
- Study program must be in a PGWP-eligible field of study.
When a new grad applies to PGWP, their language proficiency test results must be dated within the last two years.
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