In 2026, the list of educational programs, which qualify as eligible in the post-graduation work permit (PGWP), will not be revised by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
IRCC affirmed the freeze in an update to its web site dated January 15, 2026.
It means that there will be no additional or elimination of fields of study before the end of the year.
The government also had already suggested in 2025 that they would reform the eligible programs to do so in early 2026.
In 2024, IRCC added a field-of-study requirement on some post-secondary graduates applying to a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP). According to this regulation, the required number of international students should have studied a course of study associated with the occupation that experiences chronic labour shortages to be eligible to obtain a PGWP.
One of them is a PGWP, which is an open work permit that enables eligible graduates to work and acquire Canadian work experience which is frequently a significant milestone towards permanent residence.
The field-of-study option is typically required with programs below the baccalaureate degree, including certificate-level degrees. Students who complete undergraduate (bachelor), graduate (master) or research (doctoral) degree are not required to have a field-of-study requirement of a PGWP.
What the 2026 freeze means for students?
To potential international students who might be planning to study and work in Canada, the freeze gives them an added confidence on which programs may result in a subsequent issuance of a PGWP on graduation.
Currently, there are 1,107 eligible programs of the IRCC on the list of the education programs by the PGWP. These are mostly under the fields as:
Medical and social services;
Education;
Trades;
Agriculture;
STEM; and
Transport.
Individuals who have graduated college and other non-degree programs should ensure that their program is listed among eligible ones in case they plan on applying to a PGWP.
How can I check which educational programs are included in the field of study requirements?
Students of non-degree programs are required to access the list of eligible codes of Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) on the IRCC list, and then apply to study permit, or rather, to apply to the PGWP.
CIP code This is a six-digit identifier assigned to every post-secondary program to designate it by discipline.
This is a list of all eligible CIP codes that are eligible for a PGWP.
Background: PGWP changes announced in 2025
In June 2025, IRCC declared that it was to update the list of educational programs that might result in a PGWP. With those changes, 119 new fields of study were eligible and 178 were not eligible.
The government in July stopped the process of programs being removed off of the list of programs eligible under the PGWP, until the next list update, which the government indicated would occur in early 2026. It implies that all the 178 programs which were canceled in June 2025 could be still used in the remaining part of the year 2025. The list is already frozen until 2026 so they will remain eligible till the year-end.
Following the updates of 2025, the number of programs eligible to get a PGWP tripled to 1,107.
IRCC freezes list of PGWP-eligible fields of study for 2026
In 2026, the list of educational programs, which qualify as eligible in the post-graduation work permit (PGWP), will not be revised by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
IRCC affirmed the freeze in an update to its web site dated January 15, 2026.
It means that there will be no additional or elimination of fields of study before the end of the year.
The government also had already suggested in 2025 that they would reform the eligible programs to do so in early 2026.
In 2024, IRCC added a field-of-study requirement on some post-secondary graduates applying to a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP). According to this regulation, the required number of international students should have studied a course of study associated with the occupation that experiences chronic labour shortages to be eligible to obtain a PGWP.
One of them is a PGWP, which is an open work permit that enables eligible graduates to work and acquire Canadian work experience which is frequently a significant milestone towards permanent residence.
The field-of-study option is typically required with programs below the baccalaureate degree, including certificate-level degrees. Students who complete undergraduate (bachelor), graduate (master) or research (doctoral) degree are not required to have a field-of-study requirement of a PGWP.
What the 2026 freeze means for students?
To potential international students who might be planning to study and work in Canada, the freeze gives them an added confidence on which programs may result in a subsequent issuance of a PGWP on graduation.
Currently, there are 1,107 eligible programs of the IRCC on the list of the education programs by the PGWP. These are mostly under the fields as:
Individuals who have graduated college and other non-degree programs should ensure that their program is listed among eligible ones in case they plan on applying to a PGWP.
How can I check which educational programs are included in the field of study requirements?
Students of non-degree programs are required to access the list of eligible codes of Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) on the IRCC list, and then apply to study permit, or rather, to apply to the PGWP.
CIP code This is a six-digit identifier assigned to every post-secondary program to designate it by discipline.
This is a list of all eligible CIP codes that are eligible for a PGWP.
Background: PGWP changes announced in 2025
In June 2025, IRCC declared that it was to update the list of educational programs that might result in a PGWP. With those changes, 119 new fields of study were eligible and 178 were not eligible.
The government in July stopped the process of programs being removed off of the list of programs eligible under the PGWP, until the next list update, which the government indicated would occur in early 2026. It implies that all the 178 programs which were canceled in June 2025 could be still used in the remaining part of the year 2025. The list is already frozen until 2026 so they will remain eligible till the year-end.
Following the updates of 2025, the number of programs eligible to get a PGWP tripled to 1,107.
Recent Posts
Recent Comments
Archives
Categories
Categories