PGWP Eligible Fields of Study: How to Check Your Program's CIP Code in 2026

To check whether your program qualifies for a post-graduation work permit, find its six-digit CIP code and look it up on IRCC’s list of eligible fields of study. You only need to do this if you are in a non-degree program (such as a college diploma or certificate) and applied for your study permit on or after November 1, 2024. For 2026, IRCC has frozen the list: no fields will be added or removed this year.

Key points

• Eligibility is decided by CIP code, not by your program’s name.
• Bachelor’s, master’s and PhD graduates do not need to check the list.
• The list was revised on June 25, 2025 (119 fields added, 178 removed) and partly reversed on July 4, 2025.
• IRCC confirmed in January 2026 that the list will not change during 2026.
• Your code must be on the list when you applied for your study permit or your PGWP.

Do you need to check the list?

Your situation	Need an eligible field?
Bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree	No
PGWP-eligible flight school graduate	No
Applied for study permit before November 1, 2024	No
Applied for PGWP before November 1, 2024	No
Diploma, certificate or other non-degree program, study permit applied for on or after November 1, 2024	Yes

Source: IRCC field of study page.

Step 1: Find your six-digit CIP code

IRCC uses the CIP Canada 2021 classification from Statistics Canada. You can find your code by:

1. Checking your school’s website. Many DLIs list the CIP code and PGWP eligibility on each program page.
2. Asking your school. The registrar or international office can confirm the code in writing.
3. Searching the Statistics Canada CIP catalogue. Search by keyword or browse categories. Read the description, examples and exclusions, because titles can be broad.

Get your school’s confirmation in writing if you can, and keep it with your transcript and completion letter.

Step 2: Look up the code on IRCC’s list

IRCC’s page has a searchable table with five columns:

Column	What it tells you
Category	The labour-shortage area, such as agriculture and agri-food, education, healthcare and social services, trades, STEM, or transport
CIP code	The six-digit code
CIP title	The official field name
Study permit eligibility	Whether the date of your study permit application matters
PGWP eligibility	Whether the date of your PGWP application matters

Most entries say the field is eligible outright. Some are eligible only if your study permit or PGWP application was submitted within certain date windows, for example before November 1, 2024 or after a specific 2024 or 2025 date. Read those date conditions closely.

Step 3: Check the timing

IRCC says your CIP code must be on the eligible list on the date you submitted either your study permit application or your PGWP application. So a field added after you started studying can still help you, and a field removed after you applied for your study permit generally does not hurt you.

How the list changed: 2024 to 2026

Date	Change
November 1, 2024	Field-of-study requirement starts for non-degree students who apply for a study permit on or after this date
June 25, 2025	List updated to match Express Entry priorities: 119 fields added (mostly healthcare, social services, education and trades), 178 removed; total of 920 fields
July 4, 2025	Some of the fields removed on June 25 were added back
January 15, 2026	IRCC confirms the list is frozen for 2026

Sources: IRCC notice on the June 2025 update and the IRCC field of study page.

A note on the “number of eligible programs”

IRCC described the June 2025 list as 920 fields. Some news sites describe the current list as about 1,107 programs or CIP codes. IRCC’s notice does not say how many fields were restored on July 4, 2025, so we have not been able to confirm a current total from an official source. The count matters less than whether your code is on the list, so always search the IRCC table directly.

Transition rules from the 2025 update

IRCC’s notice set out these protections:

• If you applied for your study permit before June 25, 2025 and your field was on the list then, you stay eligible even if it was later removed.
• If you applied between June 25 and July 4, 2025 in a field that was removed, you still meet the requirement at graduation.
• Fields removed in 2025 stay eligible until the list is next updated. With the 2026 freeze, that means they remain eligible through 2026.

A worked example

Suppose you are enrolled in a two-year college diploma in Ontario and applied for your study permit in March 2025:

1. Do you need to check? Yes. It is a diploma, not a degree, and your study permit application was after November 1, 2024.
2. Find the code. Your college’s program page lists a six-digit CIP code. You confirm it with the registrar by email.
3. Search the IRCC table. The code appears in the list. The “Study permit eligibility” column shows no date restriction.
4. Check timing. Your code was on the list when you applied for your study permit, so you meet the requirement even if the list changes before you graduate.
5. Check everything else. You still need CLB 5 in all four skills, a program of at least 8 months at a PGWP-eligible DLI, and an application within 180 days of completion.

If the code had a date condition, you would compare it with the date IRCC received your study permit application.

If your program is not on the list

You still have options, though each has trade-offs:

• Check the date rules again. Your field may have been eligible when you applied for your study permit.
• Consider a degree program. Bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral graduates do not need an eligible field.
• Switch programs carefully. A transfer to an eligible program may help, but the combined study must still meet the 8-month and full-time rules, and you may need a new PAL and study permit.
• Look at other work permits. A graduate who does not qualify for a PGWP may still qualify for an employer-specific work permit, for example one supported by an LMIA.

Get professional advice before switching programs; the rules on transfers, leaves and level changes are detailed.

Common mistakes

• Relying on the program name. Two schools can give similar-sounding programs different CIP codes. Check the code, not the title.
• Using an unofficial list. Third-party tables can be out of date. Use IRCC’s page.
• Forgetting the other requirements. An eligible field is not enough. You still need a program of at least 8 months at a PGWP-eligible DLI, a CLB 5 result for college programs (CLB 7 for university), and an application within 180 days of completion. See our PGWP guide.
• Switching programs without rechecking. A transfer can change your CIP code and the date that counts.

What happens after 2026

IRCC has not announced what the list will look like in 2027. Earlier changes were tied to Express Entry priorities and long-term labour shortages, so future updates could add or remove fields again. We will report any change on our updates page.

When to get professional help

If your program has an unusual CIP code, you transferred schools, or your code is eligible only within certain date windows, a regulated Canadian immigration consultant (RCIC) or lawyer can confirm your position. This article is general information, not legal advice.

What to do next

1. Get your program’s CIP code from your school in writing.
2. Search it on the IRCC table and note any date conditions.
3. If you have not chosen a program yet, check the code before you accept an offer, alongside the steps in our Canada study permit guide.
4. Visit our Canada hub for more on studying and working in Canada.