{"id":2495,"date":"2026-02-02T13:09:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-02T13:09:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/i2canada.ca\/en\/?p=2495"},"modified":"2026-02-02T13:09:56","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T13:09:56","slug":"canada-pgwp-eligible-list-2026-no-changes-ircc-update","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/i2canada.ca\/en\/news\/canada-pgwp-eligible-list-2026-no-changes-ircc-update\/","title":{"rendered":"Canada PGWP Eligible Fields of Study List 2026: IRCC Confirms No Changes"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>\n    \/* Base link styles *\/<br \/>    .toc-link-item {<br \/>        text-decoration: none !important;<br \/>        color: #333 !important;<br \/>        display: block;<br \/>        padding: 10px 15px;<br \/>        border-radius: 5px;<br \/>        border-bottom: 1px solid #eee;<br \/>        transition: all 0.3s ease;<br \/>        font-weight: 500;<br \/>    }<\/p>\n<p>    \/* Hover effect *\/<br \/>    .toc-link-item:hover {<br \/>        background-color: #003366;<br \/>        color: #ffffff !important;<br \/>        padding-left: 25px;<br \/>        box-shadow: 0 4px 6px rgba(0,0,0,0.1);<br \/>        border-bottom: 1px solid #003366;<br \/>    }<br \/><\/style>\n<p>Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has officially confirmed that the list of fields of study eligible for the <strong>Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP)<\/strong> will remain unchanged throughout 2026. This &#8220;freeze&#8221; means that no programs will be added or removed during the 2026 calendar year.<\/p>\n<p>This decision provides much-needed predictability for international students, allowing them to make informed academic and immigration-related decisions without the risk of sudden policy shifts regarding their eligibility to work after graduation.<\/p>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f9f9f9; border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 20px; border-radius: 8px; margin-bottom: 30px; margin-top: 20px;\">\n<p style=\"font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 15px; border-bottom: 2px solid #003366; padding-bottom: 10px; display: inline-block;\">Table of Contents (Quick Access)<\/p>\n<ul style=\"list-style-type: none; padding-left: 0; margin: 0;\">\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 5px;\"><a class=\"toc-link-item\" href=\"#section1\">1) The 2026 PGWP Eligibility Freeze<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 5px;\"><a class=\"toc-link-item\" href=\"#section2\">2) Why IRCC Decided to Maintain the 1,107 Fields<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 5px;\"><a class=\"toc-link-item\" href=\"#section3\">3) Priority Sectors for PGWP-Eligible Programs<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 5px;\"><a class=\"toc-link-item\" href=\"#section4\">4) Degree vs. Non-Degree Program Rules<\/a><\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-bottom: 5px;\"><a class=\"toc-link-item\" href=\"#section5\">5) Strategic Advice for International Students<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<h2 id=\"section1\">1) The 2026 PGWP Eligibility Freeze<\/h2>\n<p>The freeze on the eligible list ensures that students who have already started their programs or are planning to apply in 2026 can proceed with confidence. If a field of study is currently on the list of 1,107 eligible programs, it is guaranteed to remain eligible until the end of 2026.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2 id=\"section2\">2) Why IRCC Decided to Maintain the 1,107 Fields<\/h2>\n<p>In 2025, IRCC implemented significant changes to align PGWP eligibility with Canada&#8217;s labour market. After a period of adjustments and reversals in mid-2025 aimed at protecting student interests, the final list settled at 1,107 fields. To provide stability and clarity for both students and educational institutions, IRCC has opted for a &#8220;no-change&#8221; policy for the current year.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2 id=\"section3\">3) Priority Sectors for PGWP-Eligible Programs<\/h2>\n<p>The current list focuses on sectors with critical labor shortages. Below are the primary categories that remain eligible:<\/p>\n<table style=\"border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; border: 1px solid #ddd; margin-top: 15px; margin-bottom: 25px;\">\n<thead>\n<tr style=\"background-color: #003366; color: white;\">\n<th style=\"padding: 12px; border: 1px solid #ddd; text-align: left;\">Target Sector<\/th>\n<th style=\"padding: 12px; border: 1px solid #ddd; text-align: left;\">Included Fields<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"padding: 10px; border: 1px solid #ddd;\"><strong>STEM<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"padding: 10px; border: 1px solid #ddd;\">Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"background-color: #f9f9f9;\">\n<td style=\"padding: 10px; border: 1px solid #ddd;\"><strong>Healthcare<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"padding: 10px; border: 1px solid #ddd;\">Nursing, Social Services, and Medical Tech<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"padding: 10px; border: 1px solid #ddd;\"><strong>Skilled Trades<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"padding: 10px; border: 1px solid #ddd;\">Construction, Mechanics, and Agriculture<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"background-color: #f9f9f9;\">\n<td style=\"padding: 10px; border: 1px solid #ddd;\"><strong>Transport &amp; Education<\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"padding: 10px; border: 1px solid #ddd;\">Logistics, Early Childhood Education, etc.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<hr \/>\n<h2 id=\"section4\">4) Degree vs. Non-Degree Program Rules<\/h2>\n<p>It is crucial to differentiate between program types when determining eligibility:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Bachelor\u2019s, Master\u2019s, and Doctoral Degrees:<\/strong> These students are generally <strong>exempt<\/strong> from the specific field-of-study list and remain eligible for PGWP regardless of their major.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Diplomas and Certificates:<\/strong> Students in non-degree programs <strong>must<\/strong> ensure their program\u2019s six-digit <strong>CIP (Classification of Instructional Programs) code<\/strong> is included in the 1,107 eligible fields.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h2 id=\"section5\">5) Strategic Advice for International Students<\/h2>\n<p>Before applying for a study permit in 2026, students should:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Confirm the specific <strong>CIP code<\/strong> of their chosen program with their designated learning institution (DLI).<\/li>\n<li>Verify that the code appears on the official IRCC list.<\/li>\n<li>Plan for future Permanent Residency (PR) pathways, as PGWP eligibility is often the first step toward gaining the necessary Canadian work experience.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>\ud83d\udcde Planning your study and work path in Canada?<\/h3>\n<p>Ensuring your program is PGWP-eligible is vital for your future. Our team at i2Canada, managed by Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants (RCIC), can help you verify your eligibility and secure your study permit.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center; color: #ff427a;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\">For professional consultation and assessment, contact us via the links below:<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has officially confirmed that the list of fields of study eligible for the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) will remain<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2497,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[60,63,62,64,61,59,65],"class_list":["post-2495","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-canada-post-graduation-work-permit","tag-canada-study-permit-2026","tag-cip-codes-for-pgwp","tag-international-students-canada-work","tag-ircc-pgwp-update-2026","tag-pgwp-eligible-fields-2026","tag-pr-pathways-canada-students"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/i2canada.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2495","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/i2canada.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/i2canada.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/i2canada.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/i2canada.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2495"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/i2canada.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2495\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2498,"href":"https:\/\/i2canada.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2495\/revisions\/2498"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/i2canada.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2497"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/i2canada.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2495"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/i2canada.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2495"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/i2canada.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2495"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}