At a press conference in Red Deer on July 29, 2026, Prime Minister Mark Carney was asked whether his government intended to deport the Portage College graduates who have been staging a hunger strike in Calgary after nearly 500 of them received post-graduation work-permit (PGWP) refusals. Carney admitted that he was “not familiar with the specific case,” but emphasized that Canada has clear processes for individuals who have lost status and that those processes must be followed. Standing beside him, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith took a much harder line. She said that international students whose visas have expired and who have not secured permanent residence “need to go home,” adding that Alberta should retain the right to offer pathways only to graduates whose skills the province urgently needs. Her comments come as Alberta prepares for an October 19 referendum that includes nine questions on provincial control over immigration. The students in question completed continuing-education diplomas delivered by private partner campuses of public Portage College in Calgary and Edmonton. In late June and early July, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued near-identical refusal letters citing a June 24 clarification to its online PGWP guide that explicitly excludes “non-credit” programs. Graduates say they were never told the programs were non-credit and argue that the change was applied retroactively. About 1,000 former students have been protesting outside IRCC’s Calgary office for two weeks, and a smaller group began a round-the-clock hunger strike on July 26. Carney used the exchange to tout his government’s record of “taking back control” of temporary-resident numbers. He claimed asylum claims are down by one-third, temporary-foreign-worker entries by half, and new international-student arrivals by two-thirds compared with 2024. Those reductions, he said, create political space to consult on an Express Entry overhaul now under discussion. Smith countered that Ottawa still allocates Alberta only 6,400 provincial-nominee spots for roughly 40,000 applicants, leaving tens of thousands of workers in limbo and fuelling protests like the Portage College case. The confrontation highlights three overlapping mobility issues facing Canada: (1) inconsistent communication of eligibility rules for post-study work permits; (2) provincial frustration over the distribution of immigration selection powers; and (3) mounting public pressure, especially in Alberta, to link immigration more directly to demonstrable labour-market needs. For employers that rely on PGWP holders, the dispute signals continued uncertainty: graduates may lose work authorization with little warning, while provinces and Ottawa debate who should control economic-class selection. Multinational firms operating in Alberta should monitor the October referendum closely; a strong “Yes” vote could bolster Smith’s push for a larger nominee allocation or even new provincial authority over temporary permits.
Source: Immigration News Canada
