A Canadian province has announced a move to extend the deadline for its program on the permanent residency pathway for foreign students.
New Brunswick made this decision known officially in a press statement issued on its website.
The Canadian province extended the permanent residency pathway for foreign students through its Private Career College Graduate Pilot.
This dedicated immigration pathway provides a direct route to Canadian permanent residence (PR) for foreign students finishing specific high-demand programs.
Previously scheduled to expire at the end of 2026, the provincial government has pushed the deadline to December 31, 2027.
The extension ensures that international students currently enrolled in these critical programs can complete their education and transition smoothly into the local workforce without losing their legal status.
The statement reads: “As an international student in New Brunswick, our goal is for you to succeed (New Brunswick is BIG on helping you succeed)! When you study here, you become part of our community, which is why we want you to stay after you finish your studies and make New Brunswick your home. Our province has a lot to offer, including a great quality of life with affordable housing, friendly communities, a laid-back lifestyle, and an abundance of gorgeous nature.
In addition, there will be an estimated 12,000 jobs available every year for the next 5 years in sectors like health care, education, manufacturing, transportation, construction, information and communications technology, agriculture, and aquaculture. That makes New Brunswick an excellent place to settle down and find your dream career.”
International students frequently rely on the PGWP, which is an open work permit issued for up to three years, to maintain employment in Canada while pursuing permanent residency through provincial or federal channels.
Before this extension, which was announced on New Brunswick’s Important Notices webpage in July 2026, the pilot was scheduled to close on December 31, 2026. According to provincial authorities, this latest extension aims to accommodate international students currently enrolled in eligible courses who would not have graduated before the original closing date.
To qualify for the pilot, international students must graduate from an approved programme at either Eastern College or Oulton College in New Brunswick, and hold a full-time, non-seasonal job offer related to their field of study. Eligibility is determined by the specific duties and responsibilities of the job under Canada’s National Occupational Classification (NOC) system, rather than the job title alone.
For graduates of Eastern College, eligible study options within the Education and Social Development stream include the Child and Youth Care with Addictions Support Worker programme, which qualifies candidates for roles as social and community service workers under NOC code 42201.
Those completing the Early Childhood Education programme qualify as early childhood educators and assistants under NOC code 42202.
Within the healthcare sector, Eastern College graduates of the Medical Administrative Specialist programme are eligible for medical administrative assistant roles under NOC code 13112.
Additionally, the Personal Support Worker programme qualifies graduates for positions as nurse aides, orderlies, and patient service associates under NOC code 33102, as well as home support workers, housekeepers, and related occupations under NOC code 44101.
For graduates of Oulton College, eligible pathways in the Education and Social Development field include the Early Childhood Education / Educational Assistant programme, which covers early childhood educators and assistants under NOC code 42202, alongside elementary and secondary school teacher assistants under NOC code 43100.
Oulton’s Child and Youth Care programme and its Human Services Counsellor programme both qualify graduates for social and community service worker roles under NOC code 42201.
In the healthcare sector, Oulton College offers several qualifying streams. The Medical Office Administration programme aligns with medical administrative assistant positions under NOC code 13112.
The Medical Laboratory Assistant course qualifies graduates as medical laboratory technicians and pathologists’ assistants under NOC code 33101, while the Medical Laboratory Technology programme covers medical laboratory technologists under NOC code 32120.
The Practical Nurse programme enables graduates to work as licensed practical nurses under NOC code 32101, and the Primary Care Paramedic programme qualifies candidates for paramedics and related occupations under NOC code 32102.
International graduates have a strict 90-day window from the formal programme completion date shown on their transcript to secure an eligible job offer, apply for and receive a provincial nomination certificate, and submit an application for a T13 work permit to the federal government.
The T13 work permit provides provincial nominees with official work authorization while Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) processes their permanent residence applications, preventing them from falling out of status in the interim. Candidates must continue to meet all the conditions of their provincial nomination throughout the processing period.
In addition to academic and employment criteria, applicants must meet specific personal requirements to qualify for the pilot. Candidates must be at least 19 years old at the time of application to be considered eligible.
Further, they are required to meet the minimum language proficiency requirement of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 5 across all four language abilities, which include reading, writing, listening, and speaking, in either English or French.
This extension through to the end of 2027 marks the second time the province has prolonged the initiative to safeguard the talent pool. The pilot was previously extended for an additional year in February 2026 to evaluate its ongoing success. It originally launched in September 2022 with an initial three-year timeline.
