Canada removes PGWP field of study requirements

Prior to this change, graduates from university bachelor’s programs were exempt from field of study requirements, but graduates of college bachelor’s programs were not.

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For international student graduates of colleges who applied for their initial study permits after November 1, 2024, new field of study requirements came into effect last year. Under these field of study requirements, college graduates must have graduated from a program linked to a labour market shortage in order to be eligible for a PGWP.

As of March, 2025, graduates from college bachelor’s programs no longer need to meet this field of study requirement.

Graduates of any other college, polytechnic, or non-university program are still subject to field of study requirements, as are graduates from university programs that are not bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral programs.

All PGWP applicants applying after November 1, 2024 remain subject to the new language proficiency requirements.

What is considered a bachelor’s degree in Canada?

Bachelor’s degrees in Canada are offered by Canadian post-secondary education institutions at the undergraduate level. These degrees typically take 3-4 years to earn.

Educational institutions need to meet provincial standards and definitions to classify their programs at different education levels.

When assessing your eligibility for a PGWP, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) officers will check to see what kind of degree you graduated with, and what associated eligibility criteria you need to meet as a result. The date of your initial study permit application will also be considered in this regard.

What language proficiency requirements do new graduates have to meet to be PGWP-eligible?

All new graduates who applied for their PGWP after November 1, 2024 must meet new language proficiency requirements to be eligible for this work permit.

The following table summarizes these requirements for different levels of study in Canada:

In addition to the above, students who graduated from any other university program, or any other college, polytechnic, or non-university program must meet both language and field of study requirements to be PGWP-eligible.

Graduates of flight schools and those who applied for their PGWP before November 1, 2024, remain exempt from all language and field of study eligibility criteria, and only need to meet basic eligibility for a PGWP.

Who remains ineligible for a PGWP?

IRCC has maintained PGWP-ineligibility for the following graduates. Note that graduates who meet all other eligibility criteria may still be ineligible for a PGWP if they meet any of the below conditions:

• They already received a PGWP;
• They studied English or French as a second language;
• They took general interest or self-improvement courses;
• They received funding or scholarship from Global Affairs Canada that requires them to return to their home country after graduating;
• They completed over 50% of their study program through distance learning (i.e. online courses), and are not covered in COVID-19 distance learning measures;
• They completed a study program at a non-Canadian institution located in Canada;
• They completed a program that is not PGWP eligible (including programs offered under a curriculum-licensing agreement).

Why did IRCC implement the field of study requirement for some new graduates?

IRCC first implemented the field of study requirements for some new graduates in late 2024.

The field of study requirement works in conjunction with several other policies that IRCC enacted in 2024, to further limit the number of newcomers the country will accept in response to domestic housing stock and affordability pressures. To the same end, these policies further work to reduce the population of temporary residents (work and study permit holders) in Canada.

In addition to reducing the temporary resident population, the introduction of the PGWP field of study requirements also aligns PGWP issuance with critical sectors of the Canadian economy that require trained workers. The critical sectors identified by IRCC are divided into six broad categories:

• Agriculture and agri-food;
• Education;
• Health care;
• Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM);
• Trade; and
• Transport.

Further to this point, these educational categories mirror the occupational categories that IRCC employs for category-based selections of Express Entry candidates.

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