What you need to know
Since September 4, 2026, a valid work permit lets you study in Canada for six months or less with no study permit application. The measure runs until December 31, 2027.
The courses this covers are the practical ones: licensing, certification, credential bridging, and short training that makes you more employable in Canada.
Your study time runs until the course ends or your work permit expires, whichever comes first, so the course and the permit have to line up. A Pathway Assessment lines them up for you.
Training can move you into immigration programs you did not fit before, and a Pathway Assessment maps those routes against your file before you enrol.
Workers in Quebec are covered too, with no Quebec Acceptance Certificate needed to study under this policy.
Can I study on a work permit in Canada?
Yes. Since September 4, 2026, a temporary IRCC public policy allows you to study in Canada for six months or less on a valid work permit, with no study permit application. Your authorization runs until the course ends or the permit expires, whichever comes first, and the policy stays in effect until December 31, 2027.
A BorderPass Pathway Assessment confirms how the measure applies to your permit and your dates, and maps the work and permanent residence options that sit alongside it. A licensed Canadian immigration lawyer reviews the report before it reaches you.
What can you actually study in six months?
Six months covers most of what moves a career forward in Canada: licensing exam preparation, trade certification, credential bridging programs, safety and equipment tickets, and language upgrading. IRCC pointed to tradespeople, nurses and laboratory technicians as the kind of workers this measure was built for. A Pathway Assessment shows which of those courses your permit already covers.
Training finished in Canada is often what a provincial regulator or a Canadian employer wants to see, and it can also change which immigration programs you fit. BorderPass reviews both sides at once, so the course you take for your job is also a course that supports your route to permanent residence.
How does short-term training help you stay in Canada?
Training can open programs that were closed to you before. A licence, a certificate, or a stronger language score can change your National Occupational Classification code, your eligibility for a Provincial Nominee Program stream, or your Express Entry score. A Pathway Assessment maps those routes against your file before you commit to a program.
One thing to settle before you enrol: work experience gained during full-time study under this measure does not count toward Canadian Experience Class eligibility or toward Canadian work experience points under the Comprehensive Ranking System. That restriction is tied to studying full time, which is why the shape of the program matters as much as the subject. The BorderPass CRS score calculator gives you an estimate of where your score sits today, and a Pathway Assessment tells you which way a given course could move it.
Who does the new IRCC measure cover?
The measure covers people in Canada who hold a valid work permit and want to take a program of six months or less, including workers in Quebec. IRCC has said this is not a new route for workers to come to Canada, so it is aimed at people already working here.
A Pathway Assessment shows you where you stand under the measure, including the Quebec Acceptance Certificate exemption that applies if you are working there.
Where a Pathway Assessment picks up the details
What you want to do | Where the measure lands | What a Pathway Assessment adds |
Take a licensing or certification course of six months or less | Covered on your valid work permit, with no study permit application | Confirms the fit and names the permanent residence routes the credential could open |
Enrol in a program longer than six months | Study permit rules apply | Maps the permit route that suits your dates, with a licensed Canadian immigration lawyer reviewing your application before you submit |
Study full time while you work | IRCC says full-time studies still call for a study permit | Shows what full-time study does to Canadian Experience Class eligibility and CRS points before you enrol |
Add a co-op placement with a different employer or occupation | A separate employer-specific work permit can apply | Reviews whether a second permit applies to your placement |
Study in Quebec | Covered, with no Quebec Acceptance Certificate required | Checks the federal and Quebec pieces together |
What this opens up
A six-month course is a practical move for a worker in Canada: a credential your employer recognises, a licence in your trade, and often a stronger position for permanent residence, without stepping away from your job. The part worth getting right is which course, and what it does to the route you are building.
Start with a Pathway Assessment and you get a lawyer-reviewed picture of every work and permanent residence option open to you, mapped against federal and provincial programs, at a fraction of the cost of a traditional firm. You can also see how BorderPass supports newcomers from a first permit through settling in, or read our guide to studying on a work permit in Canada.
FAQs
Your authorization to study without a study permit runs only while your work permit is valid, so it ends when the permit does, even mid-course. Lining up a course length with a permit expiry date is exactly the kind of detail a BorderPass Pathway Assessment settles, together with the extension or new permit route that keeps you working.
