February 7th, 2024 at 12:47 am

IRCC New Major Announcement & Study Permit Update 2024

The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) recently made a crucial announcement on major modifications to the requirements for post-graduation work permits (PGWPs). These changes represent a significant shift in Canada’s immigration environment and will influence how foreign students looking for post-graduation jobs will proceed.

Come explore the specifics of these significant reforms and how they might affect the immigration laws in Canada.

Latest Announcements

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) declared on January 22 that it will be enacting measures to curb immigration and reduce the quantity of foreign study permits granted to students from other countries by the year 2024. To bring the post-graduation work permit (PGWP) more in line with these modifications, the IRCC released adjustments to the requirements for eligibility in particular.

International students enrolled in study programs covered by Curriculum Licensing Agreements will no longer be qualified for a PGWP upon graduation, effective September 20, 2024. Students enrolled in a private institution that holds a license to offer the curriculum linked with a public college do so under Curriculum Licensing Agreements.

Stated differently, a student will not be eligible for a PGWP if a public institution has formed licensing arrangements with a private college and the student is enrolled in the private college. According to the IRCC, these schools are subject to less regulation than public colleges, which may provide a gap in PGWP eligibility.

Institutions that accept more students than they can accommodate are becoming more and more common. These universities occasionally have to cancel acceptance letters to students as a result of this. Canada has contributed to this situation by accepting unprecedented numbers of international students.

For example, in October 2023, Northern College in Ontario withdrew admission offers from 500 applicants. The institution claimed that because there wasn’t enough housing or employment for overseas students, they had to send out offers again.

The IRCC hopes to address these issues and preserve a more regulated and sustainable environment for foreign students studying in Canada by putting this reform into effect.

Longer Work Permits for Shorter Graduate-Level Programs

The IRCC also revealed that applicants seeking a three-year work permit who have completed a master’s degree or other short graduate program will soon be qualified to do so. A PGWP length is currently determined by the duration of a person’s study program.

The present requirements have restricted the time Master’s students and shorter-term graduate students can work in Canada, as master’s degrees are typically shorter than undergraduate programs. With this modification, Master’s students will be able to apply for an extended work visa, giving them more time to obtain important job experience in Canada. This frequently makes it simpler for them to settle down permanently.

How Does the PGWP Work?

With a PGWP, foreign graduates can work for any Canadian firm without requiring an offer of employment. The PGWP is good for three years, however, each person’s PGWP will last for a different amount of time depending on how long their study program is in Canada.

The PGWP will be valid for the same amount of time, for instance, if the program was finished in less than two years or less than eight months. A 10-month program, for instance, will yield a 10-month PGWP.

The PGWP’s main advantage is that it enables international graduates to obtain Canadian professional work experience. When PGWP holders apply for permanent residency status later on, this kind of job experience comes in handy.

PGWP Eligibility Criteria

To qualify for a PGWP, overseas students need to have;

• Completed studies at an approved Designated Learning Institution (DLI) in an academic, vocational, or professional training program that lasted at least eight months. The study program had to have resulted in a degree, diploma, or certificate.
• Maintained full-time student status in Canada for each academic term of the study program, and they submitted proof of this status when applying for a work permit after graduation.
• Obtained an official letter and transcript from the DLI attesting to the applicant’s fulfillment of all prerequisites for finishing their course of study.

Additionally, the pupil needs to have graduated from;

• A public higher education facility in Quebec, such as a university, college, trade or technical school, or Jeep
• A postsecondary private school in Quebec that follows the same regulations as public institutions
• A private secondary or postsecondary school in Quebec that satisfies the requirements for admission, provides qualifying programs lasting 900 hours or more, and awards diplomas or Attestations to Specialization Professionals (ASPs)
• Canadian private schools authorized by provincial legislation to issue degrees. For instance, an Associate’s, Master’s, or PhD degree, but only if the student was enrolled in a course of study approved by The Province that leads to a degree.

Canada PR for International Students

The most recent information available from November 2023, as supplied by the IRCC, shows that 62,410 graduates of international schools were able to get permanent residence in Canada. This was a significant increase of 9,670 people over the 52,740 international graduates who became permanent residents in 2022.

Canada Study Permit Update

Applications for study permits may not be accepted into Canada until March 31, 2024. This week, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) announced adjustments to stabilize growth and lower the number of new permits granted to international students in 2024. To implement a cap of about 360,000 additional study permits in 2024, the IRCC depends on the provinces.

There probably won’t be any more applications for study permits until at least March 31, 2024, unless the provinces move swiftly. Take note that cap-exempt study permits might still be available for submission.

Before the latest notification from the IRCC, international students merely needed to apply for their study permit after receiving a Letter of Acceptance (LOA) from a Designated Learning Institution (DLI). The IRCC states that as of January 22, 2024, an attestation letter from a province or territory will be required for each study permit application that is submitted to the IRCC.

Note: the LOA from the Canadian DLI that the international student intends to attend must be presented to the IRCC with attestation letters, not instead of. Attestation letters are intended to provide extra evidence of the validity of study permit applications, according to the IRCC.

Provincial and territory governments have until March 31, 2024, to set up a procedure for providing attestation letters to students, to further safeguard the integrity of Canada’s system for accepting overseas students.

Although these procedures may be implemented at any time by Canadian provinces and territories, there is no assurance that they will remain in place until the IRCC deadline or later. This could imply that until after March 31, 2024, no new applications for research permits will be filed with the IRCC.

Applying for a Study Permit

A foreign student may apply for a study permit in Canada after receiving an attestation letter and a letter of authorization from the university and their province or territory of study, respectively. The following materials can aid prospective foreign students in their understanding of Canada’s study permit application process:

• How to study in Canada
• How to get a Canadian study permit
• Study permit refusals
• Renewing or changing a study permit
• Working while studying
• Other changes Canada is making to its international student program

The IRCC recently released a press statement outlining various other steps being taken to alter Canada’s stated policies and foreign student program, in addition to the introduction of attestation letters. For example, the amount of new study permits that will be approved nationwide will be capped at two years, according to the IRCC.

The IRCC states that as part of this reform, weighted provincial and territorial caps have been set. According to the department, this will significantly reduce the number of international students in regions that have experienced the most unsustainable increase.

IRCC makes it clear that applicants for study visa renewals, those who already have one, overseas students seeking master’s and doctoral degrees, and those studying elementary and secondary education are not subject to the cap.

Further Details

Furthermore, Canada plans to modify the prerequisites for its highly desired postgraduate work permit (PGWP) program, which will include the following changes:

International students enrolled in study programs under a Curriculum Licensing Arrangement starting on September 1, 2024, will no longer be eligible for a PGWP once they graduate.
It will soon be possible for graduates of master’s degrees and other short graduate programs to apply for a three-year work permit.