Canada study: New Post-Graduation work permit norms may hit Ontario’s dental care, nursing, engineering sectors

Marketa Evans, President and CEO of Colleges Ontario, in a recent statement expressed deep disappointment at the decisions with 40 per cent of international students coming from India. She said the exclusion of college programmes training workers for vital roles in the revised norms would exacerbate labour shortages across Ontario.

Evans has said that all Ontarians rely on college graduates and highlighted how the new guidelines would hinder access to essential services such as affordable childcare, dental care, mental health support, and healthcare—areas where colleges already struggle to meet talent demands.

Several critical programmes were excluded from the new eligibility criteria. For instance, dental assisting and dental hygiene students will no longer have the opportunity to work in Canada, threatening access to dental care. Early Childhood Education (ECE) is another area of concern; with Ontario planning to create over 70,000 new childcare spaces by 2026, the changes jeopardize the vital support provided by international ECE students.

Key industries such as construction, advanced manufacturing, and energy, which depend on a steady influx of college-trained workers, will face significant disruptions, she stressed.

Additionally, the healthcare sector will be impacted as registered nursing graduates from college will be unable to remain in Canada, despite identical programmes offered at universities being unaffected.

International students acquire PGWP after completing their studies. According to the new recent changes, the students who submit their study permit application before November 1, graduates with the bachelors, masters, or doctoral degrees must demonstrate language proficiency by Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB), a 12-point scale that assesses language skills, in English or its French equivalent across reading, writing, listening and speaking. And for other students with other university programmes, CLB 5 is mandatory.

Evans emphasised the need for collaboration to enhance the talent pipeline for high-demand sectors rather than imposing arbitrary cuts. She noted that the federal government aims to align work permits with labour market needs.

The lack of communication from the federal government regarding which programmes were targeted is particularly a matter of concern. “We believe that college graduates are just as essential to the province’s economic growth as university graduates,” Evans added.

Furthermore, engineering technician and technologist programs—crucial for sectors like advanced manufacturing and green energy—will also face challenges, affecting over 5,000 international students currently enrolled in these programs.

In regions where travel, tourism, and hospitality are pivotal to the economy, the changes threaten smaller communities that rely on international students, with over 16,000 currently enrolled in related programmes.

Evans urged the federal government to delay the implementation of these changes to allow for thorough consideration of their impact on Ontarians and local employers.

She called for meaningful dialogue between the province and the federal government to ensure that policies reflect the workforce needs that sustain Ontario’s communities.