Hundreds of Indian students studying in private colleges across Ontario and British Columbia recently discovered that the programmes they enrolled in were not Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) eligible. Social media erupted with stories of graduates being told to leave Canada within 90 days. In response, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued a fresh advisory on 28 July reminding international students of their legal limits: no more than 24 hours of off-campus work per week during term time, and absolutely no work without an explicit authorisation printed on the study-permit. The advisory matters because India is Canada’s largest student-source market—over 230,000 study-permit holders in 2025—and violations can trigger a five-year re-entry ban. IRCC also clarified that holding a visitor visa or Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) does not confer work rights, and that PGWP hopefuls may work full-time only after submitting a compliant application. For Indian families who have invested upwards of CAD 30,000 per year, losing work eligibility can derail financial plans. Consultants report parents frantically wiring tuition top-ups so students can maintain full-time status, while some colleges are scrambling to reclassify programmes to regain PGWP eligibility. Best practices: (1) check that your college and programme are on IRCC’s “designated learning institution + PGWP-eligible programme” list; (2) stay within the 24-hour weekly cap; (3) keep pay-stubs and timetables to prove compliance; and (4) apply for PGWP before the study-permit expiry to benefit from “maintained status.” Employers who hire international students must also verify their hours to avoid sanctions.
Source: NDTV Travel
