A new petition, e4454 for PGWP, has been brought before the House of Commons asking for an extension of the time that post-graduation work permits (PGWPs) for foreign students studying in Canada currently enjoy. The petition was presented on March 18, 2024, by Ruby Sahota, a Member of Parliament from Brampton North Liberal Caucus Ontario.
The petition aims to increase the length of the Post Graduate Work Permit (PGWP) to five years for anyone completing at least two years of study in Canada and two years for anyone completing a one-year study in Canada.
Since 2017, international students who completed a two-year program from an eligible designated learning institution (DLI) have already received a four-and-a-half-year post-graduation work permit (PGWP) (three years originally and eighteen months extension under Public Policy for PGWP extension).
Since 2019, international students who have completed a one-year program from an eligible DLI have already received a two-and-a-half-year PGWP (one year originally and eighteen months under the public policy for PGWP extension).
The petition suggests that the Government of Canada has ample data to support a permanent change to PGWP length just like it has done in other programs like Labour Market Impact Assessment(LMIA) based work permit and Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) (T13) work permits.
The arguments in favour of increasing the PGWP tenure is related to the skill set being acquired by students during their course.
Graduates with no prior work experience find it hard to get skilled jobs upon completion of their studies. Longer tenure will assist in gaining helpful skills. Current PGWP length creates stress and anxiety amongst work permit holders who are not able to get skilled jobs and hence subject to exploitation.
