The changes, proposed by Immigration Refugees Citizenship Canada (IRCC) this month, would allow international trainees and graduates waiting for study allow extensions and choices on PGWP applications to work without authorizations.
They would also remove the co-op work license requirement for specific worldwide apprentices and international students participating in work placements, suggesting their study authorization would alone authorise them to study and work as part of their program.
IRCC has stated the move would enhance the visa system and assistance to “lower administrative burdens and functional inefficiency of needing foreign nationals to acquire a study and work allow to finish one educational program”.
It added that the propositions would support institutions’ capability to draw in top talent by decreasing barriers for global students to get involved in all elements of their research study program.
This change would minimize administrative burden and operational ineffectiveness
Migration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)
The proposals come as resourcing limitations and policy turbulence have triggered severe visa processing backlogs in Canada, where the waiting time on a work license application from inside the country is 247 days, since April 9.
They follow the publication of the Auditor General’s report, which revealed severe shortcomings in the country’s International Student Program, with stakeholders calling for smarter and more differentiated visa processing to relieve delays.
Under the existing system, worldwide students registered in co-op or work-integrated knowing programs should hold both a study license and a work permit to finish their courses in Canada. Similarly, apprentices must get a research study permit on top of their work authorization to comlete their training.
For global graduates who make an application for a post-graduate work permit (PGWP) to stay in Canada after their studies, the modification would permit them to work without a work authorization while they await a visa decision.
The department has released consultations on the proposed changes and is preparing to engage with stakeholders in early spring 2026.
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