Canada Caps Student Study Permits and Moving Towards Limits on PGWPs

The Canadian government has sent letters to all provinces consulting them on anticipated changes to the post-graduate work permit (PGWP) program which current international graduates are able to benefit from.

The goal is to “align PGWP eligibility with labour market needs while reducing the overall volume of PGWP holders”. The government is making it clear that restrictions will be put in place. The government needs to understand the critical shortages in the aviation industry and act accordingly.

If policy adjustments are immediate, it would be another shock move after the announcement in January of an immediate cap on reduced Student Study Permits and enrolment numbers this year.

IRCC provided an update at the ATAC FTU May meeting in Ottawa which resulted in a healthy discussion about the impacts of recent restrictions on the number of foreign students granted for flight training in Canada and the impact of limiting the number of PGWP on the limited work force of instructors in Canada. In response to that discussion, ATAC has requested that the minister review the aviation sector and consider the extreme shortages of pilots and maintainers. ATAC agreed to gather information from FTUs on the impacts and has provided the data to the IRCC.