The major changes for international students and Post-Graduation Work Permits in Canada in 2024 – year in review

We’ve seen major changes to Canada’s international student program in 2024.

Major changes include

• Updated eligibility criteria for post-graduation work permits (PGWPs);
• Updated cost of living requirement;
• Closure of the Student Direct Stream and the Nigeria Student Express;
• Caps on study permit applications;
• Stricter rules for study permits;
• New rules regarding off-campus work hours for international students; and
• Updated regulations for open work permits for spouses.

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In this article, we’ll review the changes in more detail.

The majority of the changes align with the federal government’s aim of scaling back the number of temporary residents.

Updated eligibility criteria and regulations for PGWPs

Changes to curriculum licensing agreements PGWPs

On January 22, IRCC announced that international students who begin a study program that is part of a curriculum licensing agreement are no longer eligible for PGWPs, starting September.

These are arrangements wherein private colleges are authorized to offer students programs of a connected public college.

However, in March, IRCC moved its September deadline up to May 15.

Three-year PGWP for master’s degree students

On January 22, IRCC announced that Master’s degree program graduates will be eligible for three-year work permits.

Prior to the change, a PGWP would be granted based on the length of a master’s degree, up to a maximum of three years.

This change benefits master’s students whose programs are two years or shorter, as it makes them eligible for longer work permits.

This gives them more time to gain work experience and potentially transition to permanent residents.

This change came into effect on February 15.

Language requirements for PGWP introduced

In September it was announced that PGWP applicants need to show a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) score of 7 for university graduates and a CLB score of 5 for college graduates, starting November 1.

Field of study requirement introduced for PGWP eligibility

On September 18, IRCC announced that international students need to graduate from a field of study linked to occupations with long-term shortages to qualify for PGWPs.

*These field of study requirements do not apply to university bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral graduates. They apply for those graduating from college programs and from university vocational programs.

On October 11, IRCC released further details on which programs are eligible for PGWPs.

The fields of study are linked to fields with long-term shortages. These are

• Agriculture and agri-food;
• Healthcare;
• Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM);
• Trade; and
• Transport.

International students who applied for study permits before November 1, 2024 do not need to meet field of study requirements to be eligible for a PGWP. But if they apply for a new study permit after this date (for example, due to changing schools and/or programs), then the field of study requirement will apply.

Updated cost of living requirement

On January 1, the cost-of-living requirements for study permit applicants increased.

The requirement for a single applicant increased from $10,000 to $20,635 for 2024. Applicants must have these funds on top of covering their first year of tuition and travel costs.

The new cost of living requirement was implemented for all study permit applications received on or after January 1, 2024.

Closure of the Student Direct Stream and Nigeria Student Express

On November 8, IRCC closed the Student Direct Stream (SDS), effective immediately.

SDS was launched in 2018 to expedite study permit applications for international students from 14 countries, including India, China, Pakistan, and the Philippines.

Through SDS, IRCC’s standard processing time for applications was 20 calendar days.

However, general processing times – which vary according to country – are generally much longer. For example, current processing time for a study permit an applicant from Pakistan is 10 weeks.

The same day, IRCC also announced the closure of the Nigeria Student Express (NSE), a program similar to SDS for study permit applicants from Nigeria.

Cap on study permit applications

On January 22, IRCC announced an intake cap on international student study permit applications.

In 2024, this cap was expected to result in approximately 360,000 approved net new study permits – a decrease of 35% from 2023.

In April, Immigration Minister Marc Miller provided further context on this number, stating that the target of approved study permits for 2024 is 485,000. IRCC arrived at 360,000 by subtracting 97,000 (the number of students IRCC anticipated to apply for extensions) and setting aside a buffer for other variations.

On September 18, IRCC announced a reduction in international student study permits for 2025, based on a 10% reduction from the 2024 target of 485,000.

In 2025, this translates to issuing 437,000 study permits.

During the Immigration Levels Plan 2025-27, released in October, targets were revealed for temporary residents arriving in 2025, 2026, and 2027, which include international students.

The target for new international student arrivals in 2025 is 305,900. This accounts for new arrivals only, not study permit renewals or extensions from students already in Canada.

Stricter rules for study permits

To implement this cap, IRCC introduced Provincial Attestation Letters (PALs) on January 22.

PALs are issued by provinces and territories to international students as proof that the student has a credible admission and has been accounted for under the new caps.

IRCC said that as of January 22, 2024, every study permit application submitted to IRCC requires an attestation letter.

In March, further details were announced exempting some students from requiring PALs. As per the update, PALs are a requirement for:

• Most post-secondary study permit applicants;
• Most non-degree granting graduate programs (for example, certificate programs and graduate diplomas); and
• Any international student not included in the exception list below.

PALs are not required by:

• Primary and secondary school students;
• Master’s or doctoral degree students;*
• In-Canada visiting or exchange students studying at a DLI;
• In-Canada study permit and work permit holders (including existing study permit holders applying for an extension);
• In-Canada family members of study permit or work permit holders;
• Students who have already been approved for a study permit and intend to travel to Canada for an upcoming program; and
• Students whose applications were received before 8:30 am EST on January 22, 2024.

*On September 18, IRCC announced that Master’s and PhD students also require PALs.

New requirements for international students changing schools

Also on November 15, IRCC announced that international students must apply for a new study permit if they wish to change schools.

Prior to this change, students could change schools on the same study permit so long as they informed IRCC by updating the status in their online account.

On December 13, IRCC announced that some international students who are transferring schools for winter or spring 2025 can start studying before having been issued a new study permit – provided they meet certain conditions.

They must still have submitted an application for a new study permit.

*College students and university vocational students changing programs and applying for a new study permit after Nov 1 will be subject to the field of study requirements (see above).

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New rules regarding off-campus work hours for international students;

On April 29, Miller confirmed that the temporary pandemic measures regarding off-campus work hours for international students would not be renewed.

As a temporary pandemic measure, on October 7, 2022, IRCC allowed foreign nationals on study permits to work over 20 hours per week, with no maximum limit, with classes being in session.

With the end of this temporary measure, the pre-pandemic regulations came back into effect, limiting foreign nationals on study permits to working only 20 hours per week off-campus during academic terms.

The government announced that this 20-hour limit would increase to 24 hours in fall. This new regulation came into effect on November 15, allowing international students to work 24 hours while class is in session, off campus.

Updated regulations for open work permits for spouses

On January 22, IRCC limited spousal open work permits to spouses of international students in the following programs:

• Master’s programs; and
• Doctoral programs.

Prior to this change, spouses of international students in college programs and undergraduate programs had been eligible for spousal open work permits.

This was implemented on March 19. At the same time, IRCC announced exceptions for some undergraduate programs.

Spouses or partners of undergraduate students in one of the following professional degree programs at a university could be eligible for spousal open work permits (SOWP):

• Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS, DMD).
• Bachelor of Law or Juris Doctor (LLB, JD, BCL).
• Doctor of Medicine (MD).
• Doctor of Optometry (OD).
• Pharmacy (PharmD, BS, BSc, BPharm).
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM).
• Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN, BSN, BNSc).
• Bachelor of Education (B. Ed.).
• Bachelor of Engineering (B. Eng., BE, BASc).

In September, additional limits on spousal open work permits were announced, limiting open work permit eligibility to spouses of master’s degree students enrolled in programs of at least 16 months in duration. This policy has not come into effect as of now.

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