What changed
Canada has just removed a piece of paperwork that was getting in the way of thousands of foreign workers. As of September 4, 2026, a temporary public policy allows anyone holding a valid work permit to study for up to 6 months without applying for a study permit.
The government announced it on September 9 and began notifying eligible work permit holders directly. The measure is in effect until December 31, 2027.
Until now, a worker who wanted to take a short certification course, upgrade their trade skills or meet a provincial licensing requirement had to file a study permit application, pay the fee and wait. Now, if the course lasts six months or less, they simply enrol.
Who qualifies
The requirements are short, and there is nothing to apply for:
- Hold a valid work permit.
- The program of study must not be longer than 6 months.
Your authorization runs for up to 6 months or until your work permit expires, whichever comes first. If your permit has four months left, you can study for four months, not six.
The government specifically mentioned tradespeople, nurses and laboratory technicians as the profiles that benefit most, because they are the ones who typically need licensing or certification courses.
How you prove it
There is no new document and no letter to request. The school where you enrol may ask you to prove you qualify, and the only thing you have to show is your valid work permit. That is all.
What happens to your work permit conditions
Under this measure you do not have to meet the conditions on your work permit that relate to studying. That restriction is suspended.
What remains your responsibility is agreeing any change to your contract with your employer. If taking the course means working fewer hours than your contract states, that is negotiated with the company, not with immigration.
If you are in Quebec
It applies there too, from the same date. And there is an added benefit: if you qualify under this policy, you do not need a Quebec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ) in order to study. The CAQ exemption and the federal policy came into force on the same day.
The fine print: read this if you are pursuing permanent residence
Here is the part that can cost you, and the reason we wrote this article.
If you study full-time under this policy, the work experience you accumulate during those studies does NOT count toward:
- Your eligibility for the Canadian Experience Class.
- Canadian work experience points in the Express Entry CRS.
Read that again. You can be working, getting paid and paying into the system, and those months still will not count toward your permanent residence if you study full-time under this measure.
For someone who has spent years building an Express Entry profile, losing six months of countable experience can mean missing an invitation round. This is not a minor detail: it is the difference between qualifying and not qualifying.
Does that mean you should not study? No. It means that before enrolling full-time you need to do the math: what that course is worth to your career against what it costs you in countable experience. That calculation depends on your case, and it is worth doing with a consultant.
If you want to start a co-op placement
If you also want to do a co-op work placement alongside your course, the rule is this:
- If the employer or occupation for the placement is different from your current permit, you need to apply for a second employer-specific work permit before the placement starts. You would end up holding two valid permits at once.
- If you hold an open work permit, you do not need to apply for anything.
What this measure is NOT
It is worth being clear, because misleading claims are already circulating:
- It is not a new pathway to come to Canada. It only applies to people already in the country on a valid work permit.
- It does not replace the study permit for longer programs. If your program runs more than six months, you need a study permit, with no exceptions.
- It is not permanent. It ends on December 31, 2027.
When announcing it, the government restated its goal of reducing the temporary resident population to less than 5% of the total population by the end of 2027.
What you should do
- Check the expiry date on your work permit. It is the real ceiling on your authorization to study.
- Confirm the program is six months or less. If it is longer, you need a study permit.
- If permanent residence is your goal, do the math before enrolling full-time. This is the most important decision of all.
- If you plan to do a co-op placement, check whether you need a second permit before you start, not after.
At Goldstone Immigration we are regulated Canadian immigration consultants and we can review your specific case: whether you qualify, what makes sense for you to study and, above all, how to do it without sabotaging your path to permanent residence. Book a consultation or message us on WhatsApp.
Source: IRCC, "Public policy allowing some work permit holders to study without a study permit" and the notice dated September 9, 2026, consulted on September 15, 2026.