Hundreds of International Graduates Protest Work-Permit Refusals in Calgary
Hundreds of international graduates denied post-graduation work permits are continuing a sit-in outside Calgary City Hall, after more than 500 people demonstrated at Portage College’s Lac La Biche campus on July 21.
The graduates say they completed Portage programs delivered through partner institutions and believed those studies qualified them for a Post-Graduation Work Permit, or PGWP. Many are Indian nationals who say they borrowed to study in Canada.
“The students whose work permits are being refused are joining our movement and protest,” one participant said. “We took loans to come and study in Canada. Now we are not being given work permits—what are we supposed to do?”
The student said families in India are worried and under immense financial and emotional pressure. Organizers say reconsideration requests are also being rejected and judicial review is now their remaining route to challenge the decisions, although litigation costs may put it beyond some graduates’ reach.
Refusal letters cited by the Times of India describe the Business Management Diploma as “non-credit” and therefore ineligible under federal work-authorization rules. Students say they enrolled in 2023 or 2024, before Ottawa’s website explicitly stated that non-credit programs—apart from eligible flight training—do not qualify. They argue the clarification is being applied retrospectively.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada maintains that its June 2026 website update clarified a longstanding requirement rather than introducing a new rule. Current federal guidance requires proof of graduation from a credit-earning program at a PGWP-eligible designated learning institution and program. A school’s designated status does not make every program eligible, and a study permit or admission letter never guarantees a PGWP.
Portage College says IRCC alone assesses immigration applications. It has acknowledged refusals involving certain non-credit programs, including cases supported by a college-issued letter, but says such documents cannot establish eligibility or guarantee an outcome.
College officials met graduates from the Canadian Institute of Osteopathic Therapy and Campbell College in Lac La Biche and promised further talks. Portage is seeking federal clarification while urging students to consult licensed immigration professionals because court and immigration deadlines may apply.
The dispute exposes an accountability gap. Students must confirm eligibility, but colleges and recruiters must market programs accurately when families make life-changing financial decisions. The students’ hardship is real; so is Ottawa’s authority to enforce eligibility rules. The unresolved question is whether those rules were communicated clearly and applied fairly.
