If you hold a Canadian work permit and have been taking a college, university or upgrading program without a separate study permit, a quiet deadline is about to affect you. The temporary policy that allows certain workers to study without a study permit Canada would otherwise require is set to expire on June 27, 2026 — less than a month away. If you do not check your situation now, a program you are part-way through could fall offside without you realizing it.

What the Study-Without-a-Permit Policy Actually Does

Since June 27, 2023, IRCC has run a temporary public policy that lets a specific group of work permit holders study full-time or part-time, in a program of any length, without applying for a separate study permit. According to IRCC’s public policy, it took effect on June 27, 2023 and is scheduled to expire on June 27, 2026. It was always a time-limited measure, not a permanent rule.

The eligibility is narrower than many people assume. As IRCC’s program instructions set out, the policy covers foreign nationals whose work permit application — or work permit renewal under section 201 of the Regulations — was received by IRCC on or before June 7, 2023, and who are authorized to work. Workers who applied for their permits after that date were never covered by this policy. CIC News reported that a December 2024 update clarified — rather than expanded — those eligibility rules, and confirmed the policy continues only until June 27, 2026.

The benefit is real: before this policy, a worker could study without a study permit only in a program of six months or less. The policy lifted that limit for the eligible group, so a multi-year diploma could be completed on the strength of a work permit alone. As of this writing, IRCC has not announced an extension or a replacement policy.

What This Means for Caribbean Workers

Many of our Jamaican and Caribbean clients came to Canada on a work permit and, sensibly, started upgrading while working — a personal support worker certificate, a trades ticket, or a college diploma that strengthens a future permanent residence application. If your work permit was applied for on or before June 7, 2023, you may have been studying lawfully without ever filing for a study permit. That is exactly the group this deadline touches.

Here is the key point. After June 27, 2026, Canada’s permanent rules still let you study in a program of six months or less without a study permit. But if you are enrolled in a longer program — and your studies will continue past that date — you will need a study permit to keep going legally once the policy lapses. The authorization also never extended beyond your work permit itself: it ended whenever your work permit expired, even before the policy’s own expiry date.

What to Do Before June 27, 2026

1. Check the date IRCC received your work permit application. If it was received on or before June 7, 2023, this policy applies to you. If you applied after that date, you were never covered — and if you are in a program longer than six months, you should already hold a study permit.
2. Map your program against the deadline. If your studies will finish on or before June 27, 2026, the policy carries you to the end. If they run past it and the program is longer than six months, plan for a study permit now.
3. Apply for a study permit early if you will still be studying after June 27. Study permit processing takes time, so do not wait until the policy lapses. Applying from within Canada lets you keep studying while your application is in progress in most cases — confirm your eligibility before you rely on that.
4. Confirm short programs are still covered. If your course is six months or less, Canada’s permanent exemption continues to apply and you do not need a study permit. Keep proof of the program length on file.
5. Keep your work permit valid. This study authorization only ever lasted as long as your work permit. If your permit is nearing expiry, apply to extend it before it lapses so you do not lose both your work and study authorization at once.
6. Watch for an IRCC update — but do not count on one. No extension has been announced. Plan around the June 27, 2026 expiry, and adjust only if IRCC publishes something official.

This is one of those changes that is easy to miss because nothing arrives in the mail to warn you — the authorization simply ends on a set date. The workers most at risk are those mid-program who assume the arrangement is permanent. A short check now, against the June 7, 2023 eligibility date and your own study timeline, is all it takes to avoid an interruption to a credential you have already invested in.

If you are unsure whether you fall under this policy, or whether you need to file a study permit before the deadline, do not guess. Contact Bison Immigration Consulting today for a personalized assessment.