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IRCC Confirms Freeze on PGWP-Eligible Field of Study List for 2026
Published Date: January 16, 2026

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) confirmed in a recent website update that it will not be updating the list of educational programs eligible for the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) in 2026. This decision effectively "freezes" the current list of eligible programs, ensuring policy stability throughout the year.

Policy Background and Field of Study Restrictions

The Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) is an open work permit that allows eligible international graduates to work in Canada and gain Canadian work experience. It is often a critical step for many international students seeking a pathway to Permanent Residence.

To address Canada's chronic labour shortages, IRCC introduced a "field-of-study requirement" in 2024 for certain post-secondary graduates. Under this rule, specific international students must complete an educational program linked to long-term labour shortages to qualify for a PGWP.

Notably, this field-of-study restriction primarily applies to programs below the bachelor's degree level, such as college-level certificate or diploma credentials. Graduates who obtain a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree remain exempt from this requirement and can apply for a PGWP regardless of their specific field of study.

Retracing the 2025 Adjustments and Current Status

The decision to "freeze" the list is closely tied to a series of policy shifts that occurred in 2025. In June 2025, IRCC announced a revision to the PGWP-eligible program list, adding 119 new fields of study while planning to remove 178 fields deemed no longer aligned with labour market needs.

However, in July 2025, the government announced a pause on the removal of these 178 programs, signaling that a final decision would be made during the next update to the list in "early 2026." This meant that the 178 programs facing removal retained their eligible status for the latter half of 2025.

With IRCC confirming the freeze on January 15, 2026, and foregoing the scheduled "early 2026" revision, the 178 programs originally slated for removal will continue to be eligible for the PGWP through the end of 2026. Following the adjustments made in 2025, the total number of PGWP-eligible educational programs has increased from 920 to 1,107.

Impact on International Students

For international students planning to study and work in Canada—particularly those in non-degree programs—this announcement provides added transparency and certainty. Students can now plan their academic paths based on the existing list without the immediate fear of their program losing work permit eligibility due to policy changes this year.

Currently, the 1,107 eligible educational programs recognized by IRCC largely fall within the following key sectors:

  • Healthcare and social services
  • Education
  • Trades
  • Agriculture
  • Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)
  • Transport

IRCC advises that all graduates of college and other non-degree programs intending to apply for a PGWP should verify that their program is included on the current eligible list.

Friendly reminder: There are many pathways to immigrate to Canada. We recommend first using UNA AI to generate an objective and neutral immigration plan, so you can gain an initial understanding of the possible immigration pathways and their requirements, and then choose to proceed with one-on-one consultations with a licensed Canadian immigration consultant partnered with UNA.
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