Release: International Students Win Partial Victory but Urgent Action Needed for Full Fairness

Media Release
Migrant Workers Alliance for Change

Toronto, October 8, 2024 – After weeks of collective action, international students in Canada have won a partial victory in the fight against unfair post-graduate work permit (PGWP) changes. The federal government has announced that the new rules limiting PGWPs based on fields of study will no longer apply to students already enrolled in college programs or those who have applied for study permits on or before November 1. 

“This victory shows the power of our collective action,” says Sarom Rho, spokesperson for the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change. “International students stood up, and forced the government to listen and back down from a knee-jerk decision. But this is only a partial win—there are still thousands of students who will need to meet new language testing requirements to get post-graduate work permits and another 200,000 whose work permits are expiring and who are left without fair programs for permanent resident status, which is needed to ensure equal rights.”

The changes, set to take effect next month, included mandatory high-score language tests and restricted PGWPs for students whose studies do not align with specific job market needs, even if they were already in the country or had applied for a study permit. International students and migrant organizations fought for fairness, demanding that the government “grandfather in” students who came under the original rules. Nearly 2,000 letters were sent to the federal government calling for reversal of these overnight changes to rules. 

Changes will still come into effect for those who apply for a study permit on or after November 1, 2024, which means that international students must get high scores on language tests to be able to stay and work in the country upon graduation, and for those in colleges, only if they study in the following five fields: (1) agriculture and agri-food, (2) healthcare, (3) science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), (4) trade, and (5) transport. More details can be found here.

Restrictions and greater bureaucratic hurdles will worsen international student vulnerability, and more will fall through the cracks. International students across the country continue to call for the federal government to take further action. Specifically, they demand an extension of post-graduate work permits for students nearing expiration in 2024-2025, and fair immigration programs that ensure permanent resident status. 

“We must keep up the pressure,” adds Rho. “Every day, there are new sudden and undemocratic changes to immigration rules and they’re happening because migrants are being scapegoated for the housing and affordability crisis – but we migrants are not the cause of the crisis, we are its victims who have poured in time, money and labour to build Canada.”

Canada and Prime Minister Trudeau promised international students and migrant workers permanent residency in his mandate letter; bowing to anti-immigrant pressure, however, the federal government is slashing immigration permits, which will force hundreds of thousands of people to either leave the country or become undocumented. 

In addition to changes for current and former international students – the federal government has also slashed temporary foreign work permits; banned family work permits for migrant workers and students except in managerial jobs, placed caps on international students and made it harder for refugee claimants to arrive by increasing visa denials. 

For media inquiries, please contact:
Sarom Rho, sarom@migrantworkersalliance.org, 416-887-8315

Migrant Workers Alliance for Change is Canada’s largest migrant-led organization, uniting migrant farmworkers, care workers, fishery workers, current and former international students, and undocumented individuals to advocate for employment and immigration justice. www.MigrantWorkersAlliance.org