Canada has expanded the circumstances under which foreign workers can study without a separate study permit, allowing eligible work permit holders to enrol in short-term programmes even when the course extends beyond the period they were initially authorised to stay in the country.
Under a temporary public policy published by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) on September 9, 2026, foreign nationals with a valid work permit can study without a study permit if their programme lasts six months or less.
The policy took effect on September 4, 2026, and will remain in place until December 31, 2027. The exemption will apply only until the worker's permit expires or the policy expires or is revoked, whichever comes first.
Previously, foreign nationals could study without a study permit for programmes of up to six months only if the programme was due to finish before the end of the stay initially authorised when they entered Canada.
The new policy removes that restriction for valid work permit holders. This means workers whose current authorised stay was later extended through permit renewals can use the exemption even if their short-term course continues beyond the period granted at their initial entry.
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The policy, signed on August 5, is a successor to an earlier temporary policy that expired on June 27, 2026. That policy, introduced in June 2023, had applied to foreign nationals who had applied for work permits before June 7, 2023, including some workers without valid work permits who were on maintained status.
Canada had 1.5 million foreign nationals holding only work permits as of June 30, 2026, according to the latest federal government data. The country also had 630,000 study permit holders, some of whom also held work permits.
