Canadian province extends permanent residence pathway for Int’l students

New Brunswick, a province in Canada has formally extended its study-to-immigrate permanent residence (PR) pathway for international students graduating from two private colleges.

This extension specifically applies to international graduates of selected healthcare and early childhood education programmes at Oulton College and Eastern College, both of which are key institutions in the region.

The pathway is called Private Career College Graduate Pilot and will remain open until December 31, 2027, ensuring continued support for qualified individuals.

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Through this pilot, graduates who secure full-time, programme-related job offers can be nominated for permanent residence (PR) by the provincial government. Crucially, the scheme also grants them temporary authorization to work whilst their formal PR applications are being processed.

This extension provides an essential lifeline for international participants who want to live and work in Canada permanently after completing their studies, but who would otherwise risk losing their legal status due to strict federal regulations.

Graduates from Oulton College and Eastern College are not eligible for the federal government’s flagship Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP).

About PGWP

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.

Prior to this extension, which was announced on New Brunswick’s Important Notices webpage on 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.

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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.