Canada issues new rules, some students to soon be ineligible for PGWP

International students studying at Canada's Quebec will soon become ineligible for the nation's post-graduation work permit as the federal government has announced new rules for immigrants at the province's unsubsidised private institutions. 

The Canadian government has said that from September 1, 2023, international students studying at Quebec's unsubsidised private institutions will become ineligible for post-graduation work permit (PGWP).

The Quebec government has directed the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to only allow students who are graduated from public and subsidised private institutions to apply for the post-graduation work permit. 

Canada's immigration and refugees minister Sean Fraser said, “Making the change that Quebec requested to post-graduation work permit eligibility will improve the integrity of the programme, bring Quebec’s private institutions further in line with those of other provinces and protect our well-deserved reputation as a destination of choice for international students." 

Justin Trudeau-led nation's unsubsidised private learning institutions attract a large number of international students, the count has especially been rising since 2018. 

Between 2016-2018, nearly 4,900 international students got a study permit for these institutions. For the period of 2019–2021, the count rose to 11,500. 

Canada's PGWP programme allows students graduated from these designated learning institutions get an open work permit and they can work any employer in the nation. Canada is one of the most sought-after nations for international students due to this programme. 

If a student gets a work permit, it is valid for anywhere between 8 months to 3 years, while the actual time period actually depends on the programme at a Canadian Designated Learning Institution (DLI).

According to IRCC, if the programme is less than eight months, the student will not be eligible for work permit. While if the program is between 8 months and 2 years, PGWP will be valid for the same amount of time as per the duration of the course. 

Indians are the top benefactors of Canada's PR permit and student visa. As of December 2021, there are more than 622,000 foreign students, including 217,410 Indians, in Canada.