International student programs in Canada underwent substantial revisions in 2024, strongly impacting permit access, work options, and spousal opportunities.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) on January 22, 2024, notified that Post-Graduation Work Permits (PGWPs) will no longer be available to international students who pursue programs that are part of curriculum licensing agreements. The deadline for this new rule changed to May 15, 2024, from September 2024.
All graduates with Master's degrees are eligible for three-year work permits as declared by IRCC on January 22. Previously, PGWP duration matched the Master's program length of up to a maximum of three years. The amendment to work permit eligibility, effective from February 15, is advantageous to students since it extends post-graduation work permits for Master's graduates whose programs are two years or less. This allows them more time to build valuable Canadian work experience and improve their chances of becoming permanent residents.
Effective from November 1, 2024, university graduates must have a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) score of 7, and college graduates must have a score of 5 to apply for the PGWP,
IRCC announced on September 18 that international students graduating from Canadian colleges or university vocational programs now need degrees related to fields with long-term labour shortages to qualify for a PGWP. Graduates must now study in-demand occupations to be eligible. However, this new criterion does not apply to university bachelor's, master's, or doctoral graduates.
An exception to this new PGWP field of study requirement exists for international students who applied for their study permits before November 1, 2024. This exemption does not apply to students who submit new study permit applications for different reasons, such as changing the institution or the program.
Study fields which have long-term labour shortages, as announced by IRCC on October 11:
Student Direct Stream (SDS), introduced in 2018, aimed to speed up the usually longer study permit processing for international students. The program was for applicants from 14 designated countries, such as India, Pakistan, China, and the Philippines.
Nigeria Student Express (NSE) is much the same as SDS, with the only difference being that it is for students from Nigeria.
Effective November 8, 2024, IRCC discontinued SDS and NSE programs.
In 2022, the IRCC temporarily revised the off-campus working hours for international students to address the labour shortage across Canada. Students were allowed to work off-campus for over 20 hours per week without any limit while the class was in session.
On April 29, 2024, the immigration minister announced that these revised work hours would no longer exist. The limit for off-campus work hours for international students thus became 20 hours per week.
Effective November 15, 2024, IRCC further changed the limit and increased it to 24 hours per week during the academic term.
As part of making the regulations for study permits more rigid, IRCC started the Provincial Attestation Letters (PALs) requirement on January 22, 2024.
All study permit applications must have an attestation letter from their province/territory.
After verifying students' admission credibility and meeting the new limits, Provinces or territories issue PALs to students.
Students going to pursue post-secondary and non-degree granting graduate programs (such as graduate diplomas and certificate programs) require PALs.
PALs are also necessary for students who do not fall under the exempt category.
International students who fall under some of the categories are exempted from PALs.
You do not need a Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) if you are:
IRCC announced on September 18 that Master's and PhD students now require PALs.
Previously, international students were allowed to change schools without having to apply for a new study permit (they only had to update their status in their account).
On November 15, 2024, IRCC declared that international students must apply for a new study permit before changing learning institutions. Further, on December 13, IRCC announced that some international students transferring schools for winter or spring 2025 may begin studies before their new permit is approved, provided they meet specific conditions.
These students must have been accepted to a new Designated Learning Institution (DLI) for the Winter (starting January 1, 2025) or Spring (starting May 1, 2025) semester.
They must have already applied for a study permit extension, have a valid study permit without the new DLI listed, and meet all existing study permit conditions.
The implementation of study permit application caps for international students was announced on January 22, 2024, by IRCC.
As per the notification, the number of study permits to be approved is 360,000 (approx.), a 35% decline from the previous year.
A further clarification on this was given by Mr. Marc Miller, Immigration Minister of Canada, in April 2024. According to the reports, the total number of study permits approved in 2024 is 485,000, of which 97,000 students currently in Canada were expected to extend their study permits.
Hence, the new study permits to be issued will be 360,000.
IRCC declared in September 2024 that 2025 will see a further 10% decrease in the study permit approvals from 2024. The total, therefore, would be 437,000 study permits. Out of the total, when an approximate number of study permit renewals or extensions of international students currently in Canada are subtracted, then the number will be around 305,900.
Effective January 1, 2024, IRCC significantly increased the financial requirements for prospective international students. The cost-of-living criteria for a single study permit applicant rose from CAD10,000 to CAD20,635.
Applicants must now demonstrate access to these funds and have sufficient resources to cover their first year's tuition fees and travel expenses. The new financial threshold applies to all study permit applications received on or after January 1, 2024.
IRCC released the notification for revision in Open Work Permits for spouses of international students on January 22.
The spousal open permit, effective from March 19, 2024, is now limited to spouses of international students pursuing Master's or Doctoral level programs.
Earlier, students seeking college programs and undergraduate programs were qualified.
Spouses or partners of undergraduate students in specific programs can still apply for SOWPs. These programs include:
In September 2024, IRCC announced further restrictions on spousal open work permits. Starting January 21, 2025, only spouses of Master's students enrolled in programs lasting at least 16 months will be eligible for SOWPs. However, this policy has not yet come into effect.
These changes aim to address concerns about the integrity and volume of applications for spousal work permits within the international student program.
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