The Canadian government announced changes to its post-graduate work permit, effective November 1.

Key Points:

• As BAL previously reported, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is implementing new measures on several temporary residence programs, including the post-graduation work permit, which will have stricter language requirements and field of study conditions for international students.
• Study permit applications submitted on or after Nov. 1 must meet the new requirements (situation specific) to be eligible to apply for a post-graduation work permit, including:
  • Applicants who have graduated from a university bachelor’s degree, master’s degree or doctoral degree program must prove 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 four language areas. All fields of study are eligible; there is no additional field of study requirement.
  • Applicants who have graduated from any other university program must prove English or French language skills with a minimum level of CLB 7 in English or NCLC 7 in French in all four language areas and must graduate in an eligible field of study.
  • Finally, individuals who have graduated from a college program or any other program not listed above must prove English or French language skills with a minimum level of CLB 5 in English or NCLC 5 in French in all four language areas and must graduate in an eligible field of study.

Additional Information: Earlier this year, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada announced a plan to decrease the number of temporary residents from 6.5% of Canada’s total population to 5% by 2026. The proposed reduction of temporary residents will be reflected in the 2025–2027 Immigration Levels Plan, which is expected to release by Nov. 1.