Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has quietly tightened the rules for international students who come to Canada only to complete prerequisite or “pathway” programs before beginning a longer credential. Updated officer instructions published on February 19 direct visa officers to issue a study permit that expires just 90 days after the end-date of the prerequisite course, replacing the previous one-year grace period. (cicnews.com)
Pathway programs—such as short English- or French-language training, foundation semesters, or qualifying science courses—are a popular on-ramp for foreign applicants who do not yet meet the academic or language conditions of a degree program. Under the old rules, many students used the extra year on their permit to work full-time or remain in Canada while lining up a second study permit, contributing to record temporary-resident volumes. The new 90-day window is intended to curb that de facto extension and to force genuine progression into the principal program more quickly.
If you’re worried about navigating the tighter timelines, VisaHQ can help streamline the process by reviewing documentation, flagging common mistakes and submitting Canadian study-permit or extension applications on your behalf; learn more at https://www.visahq.com/canada/
![Canada limits study-permit duration for students taking prerequisite courses]()
Colleges and universities that rely on language-pathway feeders will need to adjust admission letters and orientation advice. Students will have to plan for an earlier extension application or leave Canada between programs, with knock-on effects for co-op placements and health-insurance coverage. Institutions in smaller cities—where prerequisite language schools are often located—fear a drop in enrolment and the local spending it brings.
For employers, the shorter permit means less time to hire pathway students during the gap before they begin full-degree study; however, it may also reduce the risk that newcomers remain in Canada without progressing academically. Immigration lawyers are advising students to prepare extension files well in advance and to maintain full-time status to remain eligible for future Post-Graduation Work Permits (PGWPs).
The measure forms part of Ottawa’s broader effort to rebalance temporary-resident growth after a 40 per cent jump in study-permit holders since 2023. Further caps on international-student numbers and a new trusted-institution framework are expected later this spring, signalling that compliance—and not growth—will shape Canada’s international-education strategy in 2026.
Pathway programs—such as short English- or French-language training, foundation semesters, or qualifying science courses—are a popular on-ramp for foreign applicants who do not yet meet the academic or language conditions of a degree program. Under the old rules, many students used the extra year on their permit to work full-time or remain in Canada while lining up a second study permit, contributing to record temporary-resident volumes. The new 90-day window is intended to curb that de facto extension and to force genuine progression into the principal program more quickly.
If you’re worried about navigating the tighter timelines, VisaHQ can help streamline the process by reviewing documentation, flagging common mistakes and submitting Canadian study-permit or extension applications on your behalf; learn more at https://www.visahq.com/canada/
Colleges and universities that rely on language-pathway feeders will need to adjust admission letters and orientation advice. Students will have to plan for an earlier extension application or leave Canada between programs, with knock-on effects for co-op placements and health-insurance coverage. Institutions in smaller cities—where prerequisite language schools are often located—fear a drop in enrolment and the local spending it brings.
For employers, the shorter permit means less time to hire pathway students during the gap before they begin full-degree study; however, it may also reduce the risk that newcomers remain in Canada without progressing academically. Immigration lawyers are advising students to prepare extension files well in advance and to maintain full-time status to remain eligible for future Post-Graduation Work Permits (PGWPs).
The measure forms part of Ottawa’s broader effort to rebalance temporary-resident growth after a 40 per cent jump in study-permit holders since 2023. Further caps on international-student numbers and a new trusted-institution framework are expected later this spring, signalling that compliance—and not growth—will shape Canada’s international-education strategy in 2026.
