Some international students who attend career colleges or post-secondary vocational schools in Alberta are speaking out after they say their post-graduation work permits (PGWPs) were denied because their programs were categorized as non-credit. 

In recent weeks, the graduates, who studied at Portage College, have been protesting outside the Calgary and Edmonton campuses affiliated with the college. Some of the students have participated in a hunger strike to draw attention to the issue.

Premier Danielle Smith and Prime Minister Mark Carney were asked about the protests at an unrelated news conference on July 29. Carney had not heard about the protests, but said graduates who do not have authorization to stay need to follow the proper process.

“I think perhaps Portage maybe overstated the pathway to permanent residency,” Smith said. “But our view is that if you come here as an international student and your visa expires, and you don’t have permanent residency, you need to go home.”

Lovepreet Singh says he studied at Edmonton-based Campbell College through a public-private partnership with Portage College. In an interview with CBC Radio’s Edmonton AM on Aug. 5, Singh said he completed teacher’s assistant courses as part of a non-credit program before applying for a PGWP in March. 

In a non-credit program, courses taken do not have academic credits or grades, and do not count towards a degree or diploma.  

In a statement to CBC News, Jaime Davies, a spokesperson for Portage College, said the college is aware that some international graduate students had their permits denied and is seeking clarification, but added that PGWP applications are “assessed and decided solely by the IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada).”

“We remain committed to providing factual information and responding to graduate inquiries that are within the college’s role and keeping graduates informed as new information becomes available,” Davies said. 

Singh said his application was denied in June because his courses were ineligible for the federal government’s permit program. 

Before applying, Singh said he checked with Campbell College to ensure he was eligible for the permit.

“They said after successful completion of this course, you guys will be eligible for the … [post-graduation] work permit.”

In early 2024, IRCC updated the permit eligibility requirements for international graduates of programs delivered through a public-private curriculum partnership like the one offered by Portage College. New rules stipulating that graduates of these programs were no longer eligible for the PGWP were implemented in May 2024. 

Singh said he enrolled and began taking classes at Campbell College in April 2024, before the new rules came into effect. Because of that, he said he was told by the college that he would be eligible for the PGWP. 

According to Singh, some international students’ permits were approved. Singh said when he checked the IRCC website, there was no information listed that suggested non-credit courses were not eligible for the PGWP. 

“In June… [the IRCC] updated their web page and added a line: non-credit courses will not be eligible for the PGWP,” Singh said. 

However, in a written statement to CBC News, IRCC said eligibility requirements for the PGWP program have not changed. 

“The requirement that applicants must complete a credit-earning program of study leading to a degree, diploma or certificate from a designated learning institution has remained the same,” the statement reads. 

Instead, IRCC said that the update to the PGWP web page clarified existing requirements and how they applied to non-credit programs after the federal department received feedback from stakeholders. 

“Behind every application is a person, a family and important plans for the future, and we understand there are questions about the program requirements.” 

Singh said he and some of his classmates have travelled to Portage College to speak with administration — located in Lac La Biche — twice since having their PGWP applications rejected.

“They still say, ‘You guys are eligible,’” he said. 

Singh added that he was told the college spoke with IRCC to get clarification on the rules surrounding the PGWP, but that no solution has been offered to international graduates yet.

On its website, Portage College says it is ending its partnership with Campbell College as well as the Canadian Institute of Osteopathic Therapy in Calgary. It said the termination of these partnerships were planned and that the decisions were unrelated to recent PGWP decisions. 

The international graduates who had their PGWP applications denied have 90 days after being notified to apply for a different visa or leave Canada. Singh said he filed for a judicial review but said he was told the process could take up to six months.  

“After spending two-and-a-half years here, … we are being denied on the basis [that] your study is not valid for [the PGWP],” he said. “It’s totally strange.”