Post-Graduation Work Permit Changes in 2025 and how they impact International Students in Canada 

In order to understand the new rules, let’s first recap how the PGWP worked before these recent changes. Under the old rules (before late 2024), the eligibility criteria for a PGWP were relatively straightforward:

• Graduation from a DLI: You had to graduate from a Designated Learning Institution (DLI) in Canada. Most public universities and colleges are DLIs, as well as some private institutions that award degrees. If your school wasn’t a recognized DLI, you wouldn’t qualify for a PGWP.
• Program Length: Your study program needed to be at least 8 months long. The length of the PGWP would match the length of your program, up to a maximum of 3 years. (For example, a 2-year diploma or a 4-year bachelor’s would typically earn a 3-year PGWP, while a 1-year certificate might get a 1-year PGWP.)
• Full-Time Study: You generally needed to study full-time each semester (with some exceptions like final semester) to maintain eligibility.
• Eligible Programs: Almost any field of study or program type was fine as long as the institution was eligible. Unlike today, there was no specific requirement that your program be in a certain field – whether you studied engineering, business, arts, or any other subject had no impact on PGWP eligibility. (The only program types that were excluded were things like English/French as a second language courses, general interest courses, or other ineligible programs as listed by IRCC.)
• No Language Requirement: Importantly, under the old rules there was no mandatory language test to get a PGWP. If you graduated from a Canadian program, you did not have to prove English or French proficiency for the work permit. Your Canadian credential was sufficient proof of your ability to work in Canada, so no IELTS/TOEFL (or other language exam) was required for the PGWP itself.

In summary, before the changes, any international student who graduated from an eligible program and school could get a PGWP, regardless of their field of study, and without needing a language test. The focus was on the school and program length, not what you studied or your language scores.

In late 2024, Canada introduced major new requirements for PGWP eligibility as part of a broader overhaul of the International Student Program. These changes were aimed at better aligning international students’ post-graduate work opportunities with Canada’s labor market needs and ensuring students have the language skills to succeed in the workplace. The two biggest changes announced were:

1. A Language Proficiency Requirement: For the first time, graduating international students would need to demonstrate knowledge of English or French in order to get a PGWP. Announced in September 2024, the new rule (effective November 1, 2024) requires PGWP applicants to provide a language test result at a certain level. University degree graduates must show a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 7 in all four abilities (reading, writing, listening, speaking), while college diploma/certificate graduates need to show at least CLB level 5 in all abilities. In practice, this means you likely need to take an approved language exam (such as IELTS, CELPIP, or TEF for French) and meet the minimum scores equivalent to CLB 7 or 5 depending on your credential. Under the old system, no such test was required, so this is a significant new hurdle for PGWP applicants who graduate after the rule took effect. (Notably, if you submitted your PGWP application before Nov 1, 2024, the language requirement was waived.)

2. Field of Study Restrictions: The Government of Canada also introduced a new field-of-study requirement for PGWP eligibility, aimed at students in non-degree programs. Announced on September 18, 2024, this rule requires that if you are graduating from a program that is NOT a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree (i.e. most college certificates, diplomas, or vocational programs), then your program must be in an “eligible field of study” linked to occupations with long-term labor shortages. In other words, Canada created a list of fields of study that are considered in-demand, and only graduates in those fields can get a PGWP (if they are in a non-degree program). Students in university degree programs (Bachelors, Masters, PhD) were exempt – the field-of-study rule does not apply to those graduating with a degree. But for college students and other non-degree students, it became a crucial factor. This change also took effect for those who applied for a study permit on or after November 1, 2024. The initial list of eligible fields (released in October 2024) was linked to sectors facing long-term shortages in Canada: agriculture and agri-food, healthcare, STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics), trades, and transport. If your program of study fell outside those categories (for example, programs in basic business administration, culinary arts, or other fields not on the list), you would no longer be eligible for a PGWP – unless you were exempt due to starting your studies earlier. Students who had applied for their study permit before Nov 1, 2024 were “grandfathered” and did not have to meet the new field-of-study requirement for their PGWP. (However, if such a student later applied for a new study permit to start a different program after that date, the new rules would apply to the new program.)

These two requirements marked a huge shift from the previous policy. To recap the contrast:

• Before: No language test needed; any field of study (at an eligible institution) was fine for PGWP.
• After Nov 2024: Must pass an English/French language test (CLB 7 or 5 depending on level) and if you’re in a non-degree program, your field of study must be one that Canada considers in-demand and on the approved list. Non-degree graduates in unapproved fields would be refused a PGWP under the new rules. Degree graduates continue to be eligible without field restrictions (they do need the language test, though).

It’s important to note that these changes were part of Canada’s strategy to manage the influx of international students and focus on skills that the economy needs. By requiring specific fields of study for college-level students, the government is encouraging students to pursue programs in areas where there are labor shortages. Additionally, the language requirement is intended to ensure that new graduates have sufficient language skills to integrate into the Canadian workforce.

After introducing the field-of-study requirement in late 2024, the Canadian government did not set the list of eligible fields in stone. In fact, they indicated that this list could be updated as labor market needs evolve. That’s exactly what happened in June 2025. On June 25, 2025, IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) announced a significant overhaul of the PGWP-eligible fields of study. This update was aimed at reflecting the latest labor market data and Canada’s priorities for skilled workers in 2025. Here are the key points from the latest June 2025 PGWP update:

• New Fields Added: Canada expanded the list of eligible fields by adding 119 new fields of study that will now qualify a graduate for a PGWP. These newly added programs are in key sectors that are experiencing persistent labor shortages in Canada. Notably, the added fields are concentrated in areas such as health care and social services, education, and skilled trades. For example, programs related to healthcare (like certain veterinary and dental programs) and education (teacher education specializations) were added to the list of PGWP-eligible studies. In fact, “Programs in the Education field of study are a completely new addition to the PGWP-eligible fields” – previously, education-related programs were not included, but now they are. This is good news for students studying to become teachers or educators; those programs will now allow a PGWP upon graduation (provided the other criteria are met).
• Some Fields Removed: At the same time, IRCC removed 178 fields of study from PGWP eligibility. These are programs that were previously on the list (from 2024) but are no longer considered linked to jobs in long-term shortage. In other words, if an occupation’s outlook changed or the labor market no longer has a shortage in that area, the related study programs were taken off the PGWP eligibility list. According to the announcement, fields were removed because the occupations they lead to “are no longer experiencing labour shortages.”. A striking example is the Transport category: IRCC completely removed educational programs in the Transport field from the PGWP-eligible list – there are now none of those programs eligible. Similarly, the Agriculture and Agri-food field was largely trimmed down – only one program in that entire category remains on the list after the update. This indicates that jobs in transport (such as certain transportation technology or logistics roles) and many in agriculture are no longer deemed in shortage, so their related study programs won’t automatically lead to a PGWP anymore under the new rules.
• Total Number of Eligible Fields: After these additions and removals, the scope of PGWP-eligible fields now stands at 920 distinct fields of study. This is the updated total number of programs (defined by their Classification of Instructional Programs code) that meet the criteria. It’s worth noting that “fields of study” in this context are quite specific – 920 sounds like a lot, but they are counting specific program specializations. The key message is that the list changed substantially: some programs that would have qualified a year ago might not today, and vice versa.
• Alignment with Express Entry Priorities: The government explicitly mentioned that the updated list of fields aligns with the Express Entry 2025 occupation priorities. Express Entry (Canada’s system for economic immigration) now has category-based draws targeting certain occupations. The fields of study that qualify for PGWP were adjusted to mimic those priority occupations in Express Entry. This shows a coordinated policy: Canada wants to encourage international students to train in fields where skilled workers are needed and potentially to transition them to permanent residence in those fields. For students, this means the PGWP eligibility is not arbitrary – it’s closely tied to where Canada sees skills shortages (for example, healthcare workers, educators, tradespeople, tech professionals, etc.).
• Grandfathering Clause (Transitional Relief): Understandably, such abrupt changes could worry students currently in the middle of a program. To address this, IRCC included a grandfathering provision. If you had already applied for your study permit before the change was announced on June 25, 2025, you will still be eligible for a PGWP under the list that existed when you applied, even if your field has since been removed. In other words, students who made decisions based on the old list won’t be punished by the sudden removal of their field. For example, if you started a 2-year college diploma in Environmental Studies in 2024 (and Environmental Studies was on the eligible list at that time), and the field got removed in the 2025 update, you should still be able to get a PGWP after graduation because you began your studies (or at least applied for your study permit) before the change. Future students (those who applied for study permits after June 25, 2025) will be subject to the new list. This grandfathering approach is similar to how the initial Nov 2024 rule was implemented (which exempted those already in Canada or with prior study permits). The goal is to ensure fairness so that students are aware of the rules before they commit to a program.

Overall, the June 2025 update fine-tuned the field-of-study requirements: it both opened PGWP eligibility to more programs in high-demand sectors (like adding education and more health/trades programs) and closed the door on programs in fields that are not in demand (like most transport-related studies and many general agriculture programs). The government has indicated that these adjustments reflect current labor market needs, and we can expect that the list might be reviewed periodically in the future as the needs evolve.

To make the changes crystal clear, let’s compare the key aspects of PGWP eligibility before and after the recent updates:

• Field of Study Requirement:
  • Before (Old Rules): No field-of-study restriction. Graduates from any field (arts, science, business, etc.) could get a PGWP, as long as the program and institution were otherwise eligible.
  • After (New Rules): Field matters for non-degrees. If you’re graduating from a non-degree program (college certificate, diploma, or other vocational program) and you applied for a study permit on/after Nov 1, 2024, you must have completed a program in an eligible field of study linked to long-term labor shortages to get a PGWP. The eligible fields are defined by IRCC’s list, which as of June 2025 spans 920 specific programs aligned with in-demand sectors. Fields like healthcare, STEM, education, and trades are prominent on the list, while many programs in fields not currently in shortage (e.g., some transport or general agriculture programs) are excluded. Note: If you completed a university degree (Bachelor’s, Master’s, PhD), the field requirement does not apply – all fields are eligible for degree-holders. This is an important exception; the restriction is really targeting college and vocational studies.
• Language Proficiency Requirement:
  • Before: No language test needed for PGWP. Your Canadian diploma/degree was enough proof of your language ability in practice.
  • After: Language test required for all PGWP applicants (unless exempt by timing). Starting Nov 1, 2024, graduates must submit valid language test results with their PGWP application. The required level is CLB 7 (Canadian Language Benchmark 7) for university program graduates, and CLB 5 for college or non-university program graduates. This roughly equates to an IELTS score of about 6.0 in each band for CLB 7, and about 5.0 for CLB 5 (for reference), though exact conversions vary by test. If you graduated and applied for your PGWP before this requirement came into effect, you were exempt, but virtually all new graduates in 2025 onward will need to plan for a language exam as part of their PGWP process.
• Program and Institution Eligibility:
  
  • Before: Only certain institutions (DLIs) and programs qualified. That remains the same – you still must graduate from a recognized Canadian DLI that is eligible for PGWP participation. Also unchanged is that program length must be at least 8 months and not an excluded type (language training, general interest, etc., remain ineligible as before). One positive tweak made in early 2024 was that Master’s students got a boost: previously a one-year Master’s would yield a one-year PGWP, but as of February 2024 IRCC made all Master’s degrees eligible for a full 3-year PGWP. This is a beneficial change for graduate students (so a short Master’s now gets the same 3-year work permit, giving more time to gain experience for PR).
  • After: The institution and basic program length criteria continue to apply (you must still graduate from a PGWP-eligible DLI). The new layer is the field and language conditions on top of these. Additionally, Canada tightened some loopholes: for instance, they cracked down on curriculum-sharing arrangements where a public college program is delivered at a private college – those are mostly no longer PGWP-eligible as of 2024 unless you were already in such a program before certain cutoff dates. So, in choosing a program as a prospective student, it’s now crucial to confirm both that the school/program is generally PGWP-eligible and (if it’s non-degree) that the program’s field is on IRCC’s approved list at the time.
• Timing and Transitional Exemptions:
  
  • The new requirements came with specific timelines. The field-of-study requirement applies only if your study permit application was made on or after Nov 1, 2024. So, students who were already in Canada studying before that, or who got their study permit earlier in 2024, aren’t subject to it (unless they change programs and need a new permit after that date). The language requirement applies to PGWP applications submitted on or after Nov 1, 2024, meaning essentially anyone graduating from that point forward needs to comply (those who managed to graduate and apply by Oct 2024 avoided it). The June 2025 updated field list has its own grandfathering: if you applied for a study permit before June 25, 2025, you can rely on the old list (i.e., you won’t be denied because your program was removed after you started). However, new students coming after that date must follow the new list.

This comparison shows that the PGWP path has become more restrictive in some ways – you need to pay attention to what you study and ensure you meet language standards – but also somewhat more targeted. The Canadian government’s intent is that PGWPs are awarded to graduates who have skills Canada truly needs and who are equipped to integrate linguistically.

For international students, the takeaway is: it’s no longer enough just to get any Canadian credential; you need to be strategic about your field of study (if it’s not a degree program) and proactive about language testing. The PGWP rules now reward those who align their education with skill shortages in Canada.

Navigating the new PGWP landscape can seem daunting, but understanding the implications will help you plan your education and career better:

• Plan Your Field of Study Carefully: If you are an aspiring student or currently enrolled in a college diploma/certificate program, you should verify whether your program’s field is on the PGWP-eligible list. The list is organized by instructional program codes on IRCC’s website, and it’s updated periodically (the latest update being June 2025). Choosing a program in a high-demand field (health care, technology, education, etc.) will not only increase your chances of getting a PGWP, but it also aligns with better job prospects in Canada. Conversely, if you invest in a program that is not on the list (say, a niche program in a field that Canada deems oversaturated), you risk not being able to obtain a PGWP at all after graduation – which could severely limit your ability to stay in Canada. For students already here who may be considering changing programs or pursuing further studies, keep in mind that switching schools or programs after Nov 1, 2024 can trigger the field-of-study requirement if it didn’t apply to you before. Always check the latest IRCC criteria before making such decisions.
• Prepare for Language Testing: If you’re graduating in this new era, don’t wait until the last minute to handle the language test requirement. Plan to take an English or French proficiency test well before you complete your program (for example, in your final semester). This gives you time to get the required scores. Remember that IRCC requires the test results to be less than 2 years old at the time of PGWP application. Common tests include IELTS or CELPIP for English and TEF or TCF for French. If you’re not confident in meeting CLB 5 or 7, consider using your time in school to improve your language skills – many colleges offer language support or courses. Failing to provide a valid test with the right scores would mean a PGWP refusal, so this is a crucial step now. The good news is that college-level grads need a slightly lower score (CLB 5), which is a moderate intermediate level, whereas university grads need CLB 7, an upper-intermediate level. This differentiation recognizes the different contexts, but in all cases, basic proficiency in Canada’s official languages is expected.
• Impact on Post-Graduation Plans: The PGWP changes underscore a broader point: Canada is focusing on quality and alignment with economic needs. If your dream was to study in Canada and then work here, you should align that dream with a field that Canada is encouraging. Many students may pivot their academic plans towards fields like healthcare, tech, or education due to these rules – which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as those sectors are hiring. It also means that some students in fields now labeled “low-demand” might need to think about alternative pathways. For instance, if your program won’t give you a PGWP, could you pursue a higher level credential (e.g., a bachelor’s) afterwards which might not have field restrictions? These are the kind of strategic questions to consider.
• Staying Informed: The pace of policy change in the international education arena has been rapid. Between 2024 and 2025, we saw multiple updates (work hours rules, caps on study permits, PGWP changes, etc.). It’s critical to stay informed through official IRCC news releases or reputable sources. The list of eligible fields can change again as Canada’s needs change. By staying up to date, you can adjust your plans accordingly – or seek advice early if something affects you.

Adapting to these new PGWP requirements can be challenging, but you don’t have to navigate it alone. Career Abroad is here to assist international students in understanding and meeting these new rules. We specialize in helping students and graduates with Canadian immigration pathways, and that includes guiding you through PGWP applications under the latest regulations.