Nov 26, 2024
Industry Leaders Respond to IRCC Policy Changes Impacting International Students and Newcomers
TIABC was one of the industry partners supporting the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) in a letter to Hon. Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, addressing recent IRCC policy changes related to the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) program and Canada’s Immigration Levels Plan
TIABC was one of the industry partners supporting the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) in a letter to Hon. Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, addressing recent IRCC policy changes related to the Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) program and Canada’s Immigration Levels Plan (see above).
Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC) announced a detailed list of 966 Canadian academic programmes that would provide post-graduation work permit (PGWP)- eligibility to international students. Notably, this announcement excluded all international students studying at community colleges and those enrolled in public colleges and polytechnics in programs related to hospitality, tourism and culinary education.
The letter states how this change has significant implications for the tourism and hospitality industries and stressed it is critical that tourism programs at public colleges and polytechnics be included in the list of eligible PGWP programs to mitigate these challenges and ensure a robust tourism workforce in the years to come.
The letter concludes by requesting government prioritize new strategic investments in the tourism workforce as part of the 2024 Fall Economic Statement and the 2025 Federal Budget and a request to meet to discuss these priorities.