Canada’s immigration company has introduced an overhaul of the checklist post-graduation work allow (PGWP)-eligible applications, including practically 120 fields of examine and eradicating 180.
Whereas welcoming the addition of some training, healthcare and social companies, STEM and commerce fields, CBIE president Larissa Bezo informed The PIE Information that the strategy “was nonetheless incongruent with the very actual labour market wants that some areas are dealing with”.
After preliminary evaluation, it seems that fields in agriculture and agri-food, transport, some STEM areas, choose trades and ambulatory/various well being care companies shall be hardest hit.
The replace, efficient as of June 25, goals to align Canada’s post-secondary training system with labour market shortages, reflecting the 2025 Specific Entry priorities.
Nevertheless, sector leaders have expressed shock and concern about sure fields eliminated or not included the checklist, as establishments and college students familiarize yourself with yet one more federal coverage change.
“The removing of some construction-related fields is perplexing given Canada’s present deal with expediting the constructing of latest properties,” Bezo informed The PIE Information.
Bezo referred to as the removing of agri-food fields “stunning” given the significance of meals safety and the native realities of Canada’s agriculture sector, and mentioned the omission of knowledge scientists was “counterintuitive” contemplating their very important contributions to innovation and progress.
On account of the modifications, there are actually 920 fields of examine eligible for a PGWP.
They construct on the federal government’s rewriting of PGWP eligibility guidelines in October final 12 months, when it introduced an preliminary checklist of 966 eligible college applications, alongside new language necessities.
Crucially, the foundations apply to worldwide college students in non-degree applications – apart from bachelor’s, grasp’s or doctoral levels – who utilized for a examine allow on or after November 1, 2024.
College students who utilized for his or her examine allow earlier than June 25, 2025, will stay eligible for a PGWP if their program was on the permitted checklist on the time of software – even when it has been eliminated within the newest replace.
The removing of some construction-related fields is perplexing
Larissa Bezo, CBIE
In October 2024, the federal government initially mentioned that every one faculty college students must meet the PGWP eligibility standards, although this was overturned in a serious win for the Canadian faculty sector in March this 12 months.
The IRCC’s newest replace will come as a disappointment to sector leaders who hoped the election of Prime Minister Mark Carney in April 2025 would usher in a interval of better stability after unprecedented coverage turbulence since January 2024.
Bezo warned that the modifications “will create additional challenges for establishments which have been recalibrating their program choices to align with the PGWP-eligible fields”.
What’s extra, one other set of coverage modifications will danger “inflicting additional uncertainty and confusion” amongst potential worldwide college students, mentioned Bezo, calling for coverage stability to permit the sector to “recuperate and rebuild”.
The popularity of Canada as a examine vacation spot has taken a battering over the previous 12 months and a half, with new information from ApplyBoard projecting examine permits to fall by greater than 50% this 12 months.
