According to the latest data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), over 200,000 Post-Graduation Work Permits (PGWPs) are set to expire in Canada over the next 15 months. As a result, many international graduates are facing an uncertain future as their PGWPs approach expiration. The work experience gained during this period is vital for their immigration prospects, and losing that opportunity could jeopardize their plans to settle in Canada permanently.
On September 18th, 2024, the Immigration Minister Marc Miller has announced measures aimed at managing the number of temporary residents in Canada (reduction from 6.5% to 5% of Canada’s population by 2026), upholding the integrity of the immigration system, protecting vulnerable people, mitigating fraud and ensuring program compliance is strictly enforced, which include changes to Open Spousal Work Permit (OSWP) and Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) Program eligibility as well as Study Permit intake caps for 2025 and 2026.
This move is also a part of a broader strategy which to reduce student visas by 35%, the changes primarily aim to ease pressure on Canada’s strained housing market.
In the year 2023, Canada welcomed over 1 million international students in which the highest number of
international comes from India with 28,230 students.
Last but not least, Spousal work permit eligibility will be further limited as well (beyond the new limits set in January 2024). Later this year, spouses of master’s degree students whose programme is less than 16 months in duration will no longer be eligible for a spousal permit.
In general, these reforms highlight the Canada’s ongoing efforts to manage its international student population and temporary foreign worker streams, with the Low-wage stream of the Temporary Foreign Workers Program now capped at 10% starting September 26, 2024.