Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has published a notice with additional information on the reforms to the International Student Program. Among these clarifications, IRCC has indicated that new undergraduate and college-level international postsecondary students are required to provide a provincial attestation letter (PAL) as of January 22, 2024; students whose applications were received before this time do not need to make changes to their applications. Provinces and territories have until March 31, 2024, to determine a plan for issuing PALs. With regard to the post-graduate work permit (PGWP) program, IRCC has clarified that graduates of master’s degrees of less than two years in length will be eligible for a PGWP of a maximum of three years and that currently enrolled students in public-private partnership college programs will remain eligible for these programs. IRCC has also provided further details around the open work permits for spouses or common-law partners of international students.
