On September 18, 2024, Canada announced that it would impose new language and field of study eligibility requirements on its Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) Program. The imposition of these new requirements aligns with Canada’s plan to decrease the number of temporary residents from 6.5% of the total population to approximately 5% over the next three years, as announced in March 2024.

Requirements

A.  Those who submit their study permit application before November 1, 2024 and are applying for a PGWP on or after November 1, 2024, must meet the new language requirement set out below that applies to their situation:

• Those who graduated in any university program must prove their English or French language skills with a minimum level of Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) 7 in English or Niveaux de competence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) 7 in French in all four language areas.
• Those who graduated from a college program must prove their English or French language skills with a minimum level of CLB 5 in English or NCLC 5 in French in all four language areas.

B.  Those who submit their study permit application on or after November 1, 2024, must meet the new language and field of study eligibility requirements set out below that applies to their situation:

• If they graduated from a university bachelor’s degree, master’s degree or doctoral degree program they must prove their English or French language skills with a minimum level of CLB 7 in English or NCLC 7 in French in all four language areas.

Field of study requirement: All fields of study are eligible. There is no additional field of study requirement.

• If they graduated from any other university program they must prove their English or French language skills with a minimum level of CLB 7 in English or NCLC 7 in French in all four language areas.  

Field of study requirement: They must graduate in an eligible field of study.

• If they graduated from a college program or any other program not listed above they must prove their English or French language skills with a minimum level of CLB 5 in English or NCLC 5 in French in all four language areas.

Field of study requirement: They must graduate in an eligible field of study.

Language requirement

Applicants for a PGWP must provide proof of language ability when they submit their application. Language skill must be demonstrated in reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Test results must be less than two years old when the application is submitted. Language test results are accepted from the tests set out in the chart that appears here.

Field of study requirement

If an applicant’s study program has a field of study requirement, they must graduate from a program linked to certain occupations in long-term shortage. The fields of study are divided into the following five broad categories: agriculture and agri-food; healthcare; science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM); trade; and transport.

Bottom Line for Employers

Employers hiring individuals who hold a PGWP are encouraged to confirm that it satisfies all requirements, including the new language requirement and any field of study requirement that may apply.