Canada opens more work permit eligibility for international PG students

With the recent announcement from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), eligibility criteria for PGWP in Canada have become more relaxed, which allows international students pursuing bachelor's degrees at colleges to apply without any field of study restrictions. The previous field restriction was limited to the selection of 966 specific fields.

"This change is beneficial for students in colleges," said Vu Thi Hai Anh, an immigration expert at Algonquin College in Ottawa.

Canada remains one of the most favored destinations for international students, having an edge of only the U.S. 

In 2023, the nation moved towards hosting over 1.04 million international students, showing a 20% year-on-year growth. This population consists of 41% of Indian students, followed by 10% of Chinese students. Approximately 70% of these aim to get work permits after graduation.

For the Canadian colleges, the average tuition sits at around CA$20,000 (US$13,856) per annum; in contrast, those of the universities usually go over CA$30,000 in one year.

This year, Canada aims to issue 437,000 study permits, representing a 10 percent decrease from the previous year.