A file photo of students on a university campus. (Photo by George Pak/Pexels.com)
Ottawa has changed its requirements for post-study work permits, adding more than 100 fields of study to its list of eligible programs that students can complete before applying for work visas. Meanwhile, 178 formerly eligible fields have now been cut.
The move is part of broader student visa changes first announced in November 2024.
The changes require international students who want to qualify for a post-graduation work permit to complete a program in a field that is linked to long-term labour shortages in Canada. The change applies to those in non-degree programs or those who are not earning a bachelor or postgraduate degree.
More than 900 fields of study are eligible for the permit. The new eligibility criteria, announced June 25, went into effect the same day.
The updated list of eligible fields of study is connected to the 2025 Express Entry priorities that were announced in February, the government said. The list focuses on attracting immigrants with skills in sectors that have a labour shortage.
Ottawa said it is looking to attract those with strong French language skills or those with work experience in industries such as health care, social services (doctors, nurse practitioners, dentists, psychologists, and chiropractors), the trades (carpenters, plumbers, and contractors) and education (teachers, child care educators and instructors for those with disabilities).
As a result, the federal government said that it while has added 119 new fields of study to the eligibility list for post-study work visas, it has also removed 178 previously eligible fields of study. Ottawa said those occupations were no longer experiencing long-term labour shortages.
The changes apply to international students who applied for a study permit on or after Nov. 1, 2024. Students who have applied for a study permit before June 25 will still be eligible for a post study work permit, even if their field of study has since been removed.
The government changes to its international student visa programs come after a record number of student visas were granted to international students looking to come to Canada in 2023. In that year, 982,880 permits were handed out, according to an Inquiry of Minister document.
Ottawa announced it would be curbing those numbers in 2024 to 360,000, or a reduction of around 35 percent. It also said it would be issuing about 437,000 study permits for 2025.
At the time, then-Immigration Minister Marc Miller called student visa system “a bit of a mess” and said it was time to rein it in.
Chandra Philip is a news reporter with the Canadian edition of The Epoch Times.