On June 25, 2025, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) made significant changes to one of the eligibility criteria for the PGWP, a post-graduation work permit for international students. This change is particularly relevant to non-degree programs and is expected to be a significant change for international students planning to combine study and immigration. To apply for the PGWP after completing a non-degree program, students must now complete a program that falls within one of the government's new list of 929 majors. Previously, most majors were eligible as long as the school was a Designated Learning Institution (DLI), but now the major itself is a key factor in determining eligibility.
In total, 119 new majors have been included and 178 have been removed. The new majors are mostly in fields that are currently in shortage across Canada, including health care, early childhood education, technical occupations, and computer and engineering. For example, health-related practice majors such as nursing, emergency medical technician (EMT), radiology technician, pharmacy assistant, physiotherapy assistant, clinical pathology technician, dental hygiene, genetic counseling, mental health counseling, and social work practice have been retained or newly included. These decisions reflect the government's desire to address the challenges of an aging population, chronic staffing shortages in community hospitals, and structural shortages in long-term care facilities.
The inclusion of majors related to early childhood education and teacher preparation is also noteworthy. The list of eligible majors is broad and includes early childhood education, as well as special education, education of children with developmental delays, French language teacher preparation, and subject-specific teacher preparation programs such as science, math, and music. In recent years, Canada's elementary and secondary education system has been facing a growing shortage of teachers, and the shortage of French language teachers and special education specialists has been recognized as an urgent need at the provincial level. The inclusion of Montessori, Waldorf, and other alternative education teacher training programs in the PGWP is an example of the government's acceptance of the diversification of education.
Trades and vocational training programs have also become PGWP-eligible fields. Electricians, plumbers, welding, heavy equipment maintenance, machinery maintenance, heating and air conditioning systems (HVAC), construction site management, and CNC machine operation remain in high employment demand and are PGWP-eligible. Many of these majors require only a short period of training, such as carpentry, painting and flooring, and construction safety. These skilled trades are also closely linked to provincial nominee programs (PNP) in BC, Alberta, and Saskatchewan, making them a great option for international students to settle in more practically and quickly.
As expected, majors related to computer science, network security, data analytics, web development, and artificial intelligence (AI) have mostly maintained their qualifications, as have engineering disciplines in general. In addition to mechanical, electrical, electronic, environmental, and civil engineering, a wide range of sub-disciplines were included, including bioengineering, nanoengineering, robotics, materials engineering, optics, ocean engineering, and chemical engineering, reflecting the government's policy intent to continue to increase the influx of high-tech workers. At the same time, majors with data-based analysis capabilities, such as statistics, applied mathematics, biostatistics, and bioinformatics, have also maintained their qualifications, indicating that the government's strategy to secure talent in science and technology-oriented industries is taking shape.
On the other hand, the excluded majors are mostly service industry-oriented majors such as marketing, accounting, finance, general business management, tourism and hospitality management, and event planning, which were judged to be oversupplied in the labor market and have a low connection to actual immigration settlement. In addition, fashion design, beauty-related practical majors, and arts and culture majors such as video production, photography, broadcast production, and theater are also excluded, which is expected to cause some confusion for those who are considering studying and immigrating at the same time, especially since these majors have been relatively popular among international students in the past.
To minimize confusion around the changes, the government has also put in place certain protections. If you applied for a Study Permit before June 25, 2025, you will be able to apply for a PGWP even if your major was on the PGWP approved list at the time, even if it has since been removed. On the other hand, if you apply or enroll in a study permit for the first time after June 25, you must complete a program that falls under the new list of approved majors to be eligible to apply for the PGWP.
In the end, this policy change is more than just a change of major; it's a clear indication of the government's strategic direction of immigration and immigration flows. Going forward, international students' career strategy should be about choosing a path to become the talent Canada needs, not just what they want to study. Remember, choosing a major is the first step to settling in Canada.
On June 25, 2025, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) made significant changes to one of the eligibility criteria for the PGWP, a post-graduation work permit for international students. This change is particularly relevant to non-degree programs and is expected to be a significant change for international students planning to combine study and immigration. To apply for the PGWP after completing a non-degree program, students must now complete a program that falls within one of the government's new list of 929 majors. Previously, most majors were eligible as long as the school was a Designated Learning Institution (DLI), but now the major itself is a key factor in determining eligibility.
In total, 119 new majors have been included and 178 have been removed. The new majors are mostly in fields that are currently in shortage across Canada, including health care, early childhood education, technical occupations, and computer and engineering. For example, health-related practice majors such as nursing, emergency medical technician (EMT), radiology technician, pharmacy assistant, physiotherapy assistant, clinical pathology technician, dental hygiene, genetic counseling, mental health counseling, and social work practice have been retained or newly included. These decisions reflect the government's desire to address the challenges of an aging population, chronic staffing shortages in community hospitals, and structural shortages in long-term care facilities.
The inclusion of majors related to early childhood education and teacher preparation is also noteworthy. The list of eligible majors is broad and includes early childhood education, as well as special education, education of children with developmental delays, French language teacher preparation, and subject-specific teacher preparation programs such as science, math, and music. In recent years, Canada's elementary and secondary education system has been facing a growing shortage of teachers, and the shortage of French language teachers and special education specialists has been recognized as an urgent need at the provincial level. The inclusion of Montessori, Waldorf, and other alternative education teacher training programs in the PGWP is an example of the government's acceptance of the diversification of education.
Trades and vocational training programs have also become PGWP-eligible fields. Electricians, plumbers, welding, heavy equipment maintenance, machinery maintenance, heating and air conditioning systems (HVAC), construction site management, and CNC machine operation remain in high employment demand and are PGWP-eligible. Many of these majors require only a short period of training, such as carpentry, painting and flooring, and construction safety. These skilled trades are also closely linked to provincial nominee programs (PNP) in BC, Alberta, and Saskatchewan, making them a great option for international students to settle in more practically and quickly.
As expected, majors related to computer science, network security, data analytics, web development, and artificial intelligence (AI) have mostly maintained their qualifications, as have engineering disciplines in general. In addition to mechanical, electrical, electronic, environmental, and civil engineering, a wide range of sub-disciplines were included, including bioengineering, nanoengineering, robotics, materials engineering, optics, ocean engineering, and chemical engineering, reflecting the government's policy intent to continue to increase the influx of high-tech workers. At the same time, majors with data-based analysis capabilities, such as statistics, applied mathematics, biostatistics, and bioinformatics, have also maintained their qualifications, indicating that the government's strategy to secure talent in science and technology-oriented industries is taking shape.
On the other hand, the excluded majors are mostly service industry-oriented majors such as marketing, accounting, finance, general business management, tourism and hospitality management, and event planning, which were judged to be oversupplied in the labor market and have a low connection to actual immigration settlement. In addition, fashion design, beauty-related practical majors, and arts and culture majors such as video production, photography, broadcast production, and theater are also excluded, which is expected to cause some confusion for those who are considering studying and immigrating at the same time, especially since these majors have been relatively popular among international students in the past.
To minimize confusion around the changes, the government has also put in place certain protections. If you applied for a Study Permit before June 25, 2025, you will be able to apply for a PGWP even if your major was on the PGWP approved list at the time, even if it has since been removed. On the other hand, if you apply or enroll in a study permit for the first time after June 25, you must complete a program that falls under the new list of approved majors to be eligible to apply for the PGWP.
In the end, this policy change is more than just a change of major; it's a clear indication of the government's strategic direction of immigration and immigration flows. Going forward, international students' career strategy should be about choosing a path to become the talent Canada needs, not just what they want to study. Remember, choosing a major is the first step to settling in Canada.