Study · Post-graduation work permit
The PGWP list is frozen for 2026, and 2026 ends
Every write-up reports the freeze. None of them reports the two words it is scoped to. If you are choosing a January 2027 intake, you are making a bet, and you are entitled to know that you are making it.
The short answer
IRCC has frozen the list of fields of study that qualify for a post-graduation work permit, and the freeze is scoped to 2026: its own wording is "For 2026, we won't add or remove any eligible fields of study." It has made no commitment for 2027. Your programme's CIP code must be on the list of currently eligible codes when you submit either your study permit application or your PGWP application, so the date you apply for the study permit can protect you against a later change.
Two words doing a lot of work
PGWP field of study list freeze for 2026. For 2026, we won't add or remove any eligible fields of study.
A freeze that names a year is a freeze that ends with it. IRCC has not said the list will change in 2027, and it has not said it will not. What it has done is decline to extend the promise, and the difference between those two things is the entire decision a student starting in January is being asked to make.
The rule that protects you, and the one that does not
IRCC's timing rule is better than most students realise. Your CIP code has to be on the eligible list when you submit either your study permit application or your PGWP application. So if your programme is eligible on the day you apply for the study permit, a later removal does not strand you.
What it does not protect is a programme that is not on the list on either date. And it does not protect a choice made on the course name rather than the code: two programmes that sound the same can carry different six-digit CIP codes, and the code is what the officer reads.
Separately, and often confused with this: if you already hold a Canadian work permit, a temporary measure lets you study for up to six months without a study permit. That is a different rule with a different deadline, and it has nothing to do with whether your field of study qualifies for a PGWP.
What this is worth doing about
Source
Common questions
Is the PGWP field of study list changing in 2027?
IRCC has not said. Its field of study page carries the heading "PGWP field of study list freeze for 2026" and the sentence "For 2026, we won't add or remove any eligible fields of study", and it makes no commitment beyond that year. So the honest answer is that the list is guaranteed stable only until the end of 2026, and a student starting a programme in January 2027 is choosing under a rule that has not been extended. Anyone telling you the list is safe for 2027 is reading a sentence that stops at 2026.
Which CIP code counts for my PGWP, the one when I applied or the one now?
Either, which is the part most students miss. IRCC's rule is that your CIP code must be on the list of currently eligible codes when you submit either your study permit application or your PGWP application. So a programme that was eligible when you applied for the study permit can still qualify even if the list changes before you graduate. That is the protection built into the rule, and it is the reason the date you apply for a study permit matters as much as the date you finish.
Does the field of study requirement apply to every student?
No. The field of study requirement attaches to certain programmes rather than to every post-graduation work permit applicant, and the eligible list is published as six-digit CIP codes on IRCC's own page. Check your programme's specific CIP code rather than the name of the course, because two programmes with similar names can carry different codes, and the code is what decides it.
Study
Check the code before you pay the deposit.
We read your programme's actual CIP code against IRCC's current list and tell you which of your two application dates is carrying the risk. Canadian applications are prepared under RCIC licence R710507.
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